Sunday Sauce – So Much Joy for Only 16 Dollars

SUNDAY SAUCE

WHEN ITALIAN-AMERICANS COOK

SUNDAY SAUCE

Sunday Sauce: The Italian-American Tradition of Sunday Gravy — Meatballs, Sausage, Braciole & Family

There are certain foods that are more than food.

They are memories.

They are Sunday afternoons in Grandma’s kitchen. They are the smell of garlic and onions cooking in olive oil. They are a huge pot slowly bubbling on the stove. They are meatballs, Italian sausage, braciole and pork ribs simmering in rich tomato sauce. They are a pot of pasta waiting for the sauce. They are family arriving at the door, friends pulling up a chair, a bottle of Italian wine being opened and everyone gathering around the table.

For generations of Italian-Americans, Sunday Sauce — also called Sunday Gravy or Italian-American Gravy — has been one of the great rituals of family life.

And few dishes capture the spirit of Italian-American cooking quite like Sunday Sauce.

That is the subject of Sunday Sauce: When Italian-Americans Cook by Daniel Bellino Zwicke, a cookbook and celebration of Italian-American food, family, tradition and culture. The book explores the great dishes of the Italian-American table, with Sunday Sauce at the center. (Sunday Sauce)

[Get Sunday Sauce by Daniel Bellino Zwicke on Amazon]

What Is Sunday Sauce?

So, what exactly is Sunday Sauce?

Ask an Italian-American from New York, New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago or another Italian-American community and you may hear slightly different answers.

Some call it Sunday Sauce.

Others call it Sunday Gravy.

Some simply call it Gravy.

Others call it Red Sauce or Sugo.

But the basic idea is wonderfully simple: a rich tomato-based sauce is slowly cooked, often together with several different Italian meats, allowing the flavors of the meat and tomatoes to come together over a long simmer.

A traditional Italian-American Sunday Gravy can include combinations of:

Italian meatballs
Italian sausage
Beef braciole
Pork ribs
Pork neck
Beef
Other slow-cooking meats

The sauce is then served with pasta — traditionally a substantial pasta capable of carrying plenty of that rich tomato gravy.

The result is one of the great comfort foods of Italian-American cooking.

Daniel Bellino Zwicke’s Sunday Sauce explores this tradition and the many variations of this beloved dish. His work specifically discusses the differences in what Italian-Americans mean when they say “sauce,” “gravy,” “Sunday Sauce” and related terms. (Sunday Sauce)

Sunday Sauce Is About More Than the Sauce

The most important ingredient in Sunday Sauce isn’t necessarily a tomato.

It is time.

Time to brown the meats.

Time for the tomatoes to cook.

Time for the flavors to develop.

And, perhaps most importantly, time for people to come together.

This is what makes Sunday Sauce so special.

It is not a meal you simply throw together because you are hungry.

Sunday Sauce is an event.

The pot goes onto the stove.

The kitchen fills with the aroma of tomatoes, garlic, onions, olive oil and slowly cooking meat.

Meatballs are prepared.

Sausages are browned.

Braciole is rolled and tied.

The sauce begins to simmer.

And eventually the entire house smells like Sunday.

That smell is one of the most powerful memories in Italian-American culture.

The Famous Italian-American Sunday Dinner

For many Italian-American families, Sunday dinner traditionally means a large gathering around the table.

Grandparents.

Parents.

Children.

Cousins.

Aunts.

Uncles.

Friends.

Everyone has a place at the table.

The meal may begin with antipasti, followed by pasta dressed with the Sunday Sauce, with the meats from the sauce served afterward.

Meatballs.

Sausage.

Braciole.

Pork.

And then perhaps salad, bread, wine and dessert.

There may be espresso afterward.

There may be cannoli.

There may be arguments, laughter, stories and memories.

That is the Italian-American table.

And that is the world Daniel Bellino Zwicke writes about.

Meatballs, Sausage & Braciole: The Heart of Sunday Gravy

One of the things that makes Italian-American Sunday Sauce so appealing is the combination of meats.

Italian Meatballs

Few foods are more closely associated with Italian-American cooking than spaghetti and meatballs.

But meatballs are also one of the essential components of Sunday Gravy.

Slowly simmered in tomato sauce, meatballs become incredibly tender while contributing their own rich flavor to the sauce.

Italian Sausage

Sweet or hot Italian sausage adds another dimension.

As sausage cooks slowly in the tomato sauce, its flavors become part of the gravy itself.

Braciole

Braciole is another classic.

Thin slices of beef are rolled around a filling and secured before being slowly cooked in tomato sauce.

The result is tender, flavorful meat surrounded by rich Italian-American gravy.

Pork Ribs

Pork ribs are another favorite addition to a big pot of Sunday Sauce.

The long cooking time allows the pork to become tender while adding depth and richness to the tomato sauce.

Put all of these together and you have something much bigger than ordinary tomato sauce.

You have Sunday Sauce.

Sunday Sauce vs. Sunday Gravy

Why do some people say Sunday Sauce while others insist it is Sunday Gravy?

This is one of the great Italian-American food debates.

There isn’t necessarily one universal answer.

Regional traditions, family history and the Italian-American community where someone grew up can all influence what they call the dish.

In some families, “sauce” means tomato sauce without meat.

“Gravy” may mean tomato sauce that has been slowly cooked with meat.

In other families, the terminology is different.

That debate itself has become part of Italian-American food culture.

And it is one of the subjects explored in Sunday Sauce: When Italian-Americans Cook. (Sunday Sauce)

The Godfather and Clemenza’s Sunday Sauce

One of the most famous Sunday Sauce scenes in American popular culture appears in The Godfather.

Peter Clemenza, played by Richard Castellano, teaches Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino, how to make his sauce.

The scene has become iconic.

Clemenza explains how to brown the meat, add the tomato sauce and let everything cook together.

The scene helped cement the image of Italian-American Sunday Sauce in popular culture and is specifically featured in Daniel Bellino Zwicke’s book. (Sunday Sauce)

For anyone fascinated by The Godfather, Italian-American food and classic Italian-American culture, this connection makes Sunday Sauce particularly appealing.

But the book goes well beyond one movie scene.

It is about the larger culture surrounding the food.

Daniel Bellino Zwicke: Italian Food, Wine & the Italian-American Table

Daniel Bellino Zwicke is an Italian cookbook author, food writer and Italian wine professional whose work focuses heavily on Italian food, Italian-American cuisine and the culture surrounding the table.

His author biography describes a career that includes cooking, wine direction and restaurant work, including his creation of Bar Cichetti, described as an early Venetian wine bar in America. He has also written extensively about Italian wine and Italian-American food culture. (Sunday Sauce)

His perspective on Sunday Sauce comes from a deep interest in both sides of the Italian culinary story:

Italy and Italian-America.

He writes about Italian food and wine, travels in Italy, New York’s Italian-American culture and the foods that have become part of the American Italian experience.

And that experience is about much more than recipes.

It is about lifestyle.

Italian-American Food Is Family Food

Ask many Italian-Americans what foods remind them of home and you are likely to hear a familiar list:

Pasta.

Meatballs.

Sausage.

Braciole.

Chicken Parmigiana.

Eggplant Parmigiana.

Pasta e Fagioli.

Cannoli.

Espresso.

And, of course:

Sunday Sauce.

These foods became part of an Italian-American culinary tradition that developed over generations.

Immigrants brought traditions from Italy.

Ingredients changed.

American ingredients became available.

Different regional Italian traditions came together.

And families created their own versions.

The result is the incredibly diverse world of Italian-American cuisine.

Why Sunday Sauce Matters

There are countless tomato sauces in the world.

But Sunday Sauce occupies a special place because it represents a ritual.

The cooking can take hours.

The meal can last for hours.

The table can be filled with people.

The conversation can continue long after the plates are cleared.

In that sense, Sunday Sauce represents something that is increasingly valuable in modern life:

sitting down together.

No rushing.

No eating alone at a desk.

No grabbing something from a drive-through.

Instead, a pot is simmering on the stove and people are gathered around a table.

That is the spirit behind Sunday Sauce: When Italian-Americans Cook.

A Cookbook for People Who Love Italian-American Food

If you love Italian-American food, this is the kind of cookbook that belongs in the kitchen.

If you grew up eating Sunday Gravy, it can bring back memories.

If your grandmother or grandfather made Sunday Sauce, it can remind you of family dinners.

If you have never made a traditional Italian-American Sunday Sauce, it can introduce you to the tradition.

And if you simply love Italian food, pasta, meatballs, sausage, braciole and tomato sauce, this book gives you a chance to explore one of the defining dishes of Italian-American cuisine.

The book includes Sunday Sauce traditions and recipes alongside other Italian-American favorites, including Clemenza’s Sunday Sauce and other classic dishes associated with the Italian-American table. (Sunday Sauce)

The Sunday Sauce Tradition Lives On

Food traditions survive because people continue to cook them.

Someone teaches a daughter how to make meatballs.

A grandmother teaches her grandson how to roll braciole.

A father shows his son how to brown sausage before putting it into the pot.

Someone learns the family recipe and writes it down.

Then, years later, another generation makes the same dish.

That is how culinary traditions survive.

Sunday Sauce is not just a recipe. It is a tradition passed from one generation to the next.

And Daniel Bellino Zwicke’s Sunday Sauce celebrates that tradition.

Make Your Own Italian-American Sunday

Imagine this:

It is Sunday afternoon.

A large pot is simmering on the stove.

The sauce is slowly cooking with meatballs, sausage, braciole and pork.

The kitchen smells incredible.

A pot of pasta is almost ready.

You open a bottle of Italian wine.

Friends and family begin arriving.

Someone brings bread.

Someone brings dessert.

Music is playing.

Everyone sits down.

The pasta is served.

Then comes the meat.

Then wine.

Then stories.

Then espresso.

Maybe cannoli.

And nobody is in a hurry.

That is Sunday Sauce.

Discover Sunday Sauce by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

If you love Italian-American food, Sunday Gravy, Sunday Sauce, Italian recipes, meatballs, Italian sausage, braciole, pasta, The Godfather, New York Italian culture, or the traditions of the Italian-American family table, Daniel Bellino Zwicke’s Sunday Sauce: When Italian-Americans Cook is a book worth discovering.

It is a celebration of the food and culture surrounding one of America’s most beloved Italian-American dishes.

The Sunday pot.

The red sauce.

The meatballs.

The sausage.

The braciole.

The pasta.

The family.

The friends.

The stories.

The memories.

Sunday Sauce.

GET The BOOK !!!

SUNDAY SAUCE : When Italian-Americans Cook

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke is available on Amazon.

Buy Sunday Sauce by Daniel Bellino Zwicke on Amazon

“SO MUCH JOY For ONLY $16.50

Bring home the book.

Put a pot on the stove.

Invite your family and friends.

Make Sunday Sauce.

And keep the Italian-American tradition alive.

Mangia!

CLEMENZA SHOW MICHAEL

HOW to MAKE SUACE

The GODFATHER

DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE

COOKING UP ANOTHEr POT

GET SUNDAY SAUCE !!!

ONE of The SMARTEST PURCHASES

YOU’LL EVER MAKE

“So MUCH JOY for ONLY $16.50”

AMAZON.com

Italian Food & Travel – Rome Venice Florence – Daniel Bellino Zwicke

ITALIAN FOOD & TRAVELS

ROME VENICE – PIZZA PASTA & ?

Including : BOURDAIN in ITALY

And 40 of ITALY’S MOST LOVED RECIPES

AMAZON.com

ITALIAN FOOD & TRAVELS :

A Journey Through Italy, One Plate at a Time

Italian Food & Travels: Rome, Venice, Pizza, Pasta & ? by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

Italy is one of those rare places where you can travel with your eyes, your feet — or your appetite.

A plate of pasta can tell you something about a city. A glass of wine can introduce you to a region. A bowl of soup can reveal the traditions of a family. A simple meal in a neighborhood trattoria can sometimes tell you more about Italy than a day spent checking famous tourist attractions off a list.

That idea is at the heart of Italian Food & Travels: Rome, Venice, Pizza, Pasta & ?, the Italian food and travel book by Daniel Bellino Zwicke.

Part travel guide, part cookbook, part culinary memoir, the book takes readers on a journey through Italy through the things that make the country so irresistible: food, wine, history, people, cities, traditions and the pleasure of sitting down at the table.

Italy Is a Country of Food

When people outside Italy talk about “Italian food,” they often imagine a handful of famous dishes: pizza, spaghetti, lasagna, tiramisu and perhaps a plate of chicken parmigiana.

But Italy doesn’t really have one single cuisine.

It has an extraordinary collection of regional food traditions.

The cuisine of Venice is not the cuisine of Naples. Roman cooking is different from Tuscan cooking. Sicilian food carries influences from centuries of Mediterranean history, while the food of northern Italy reflects a very different landscape, climate and culinary tradition.

Italy’s official tourism organization describes Italian cuisine as a vast mosaic of regional traditions, with different landscapes, cultures, ingredients and culinary practices contributing to the food of each area.

That’s what makes traveling through Italy such an exciting experience for anyone who loves food.

You aren’t simply eating “Italian food.”

You’re eating Roman food in Rome. Venetian food in Venice. Neapolitan food in Naples. Sicilian food in Sicily. Tuscan food in Tuscany.

And that’s a very different adventure.

ITALIAN FOOD & TRAVELS by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

Italian Food & Travels was written by New York-based food, wine and travel writer Daniel Bellino Zwicke, whose career has been deeply connected with Italian food, wine and restaurants.

Zwicke has spent decades working in the New York restaurant and wine world and has traveled extensively throughout Italy. His professional background includes culinary training, restaurant management and wine direction, including his work at Bar Cichetti, a Venetian-style wine bar in Greenwich Village.

That background gives Italian Food & Travels a perspective that goes beyond the typical tourist guide.

The book is about experiencing Italy through food.

It takes readers through places including:

Rome
Venice
Verona
Florence
Naples
Capri
Positano
The Amalfi Coast
Sicily
Puglia
Tuscany
and other Italian destinations

The result is a culinary journey through some of the most beloved regions and cities in Italy.

The COLOSSEUM

ROME

A Travel Guide for People Who Love to Eat

There are plenty of books about traveling through Italy.

There are also plenty of Italian cookbooks.

Italian Food & Travels brings those two worlds together.

Imagine planning a trip to Italy and being able to read about the places you’re visiting while also discovering the food associated with them.

That’s the concept.

Rather than treating food as something separate from travel, Zwicke treats food as one of the best ways to understand a destination.

And that’s an important distinction.

If you visit Naples, you don’t simply want to see Naples.

You want to understand Neapolitan food.

If you visit Venice, you don’t just want to photograph the canals.

You want to understand the Venetian tradition of bacari, cicchetti, seafood, pasta and wine.

If you travel along the Amalfi Coast, the experience becomes even richer when you understand the ingredients and dishes that come from Campania.

Food turns travel into something personal.

Rome: Pasta, History and La Dolce Vita

Rome is one of the world’s great food cities.

It’s also one of the best places to understand how Italian cooking can be incredibly simple while still being deeply satisfying.

Roman cuisine is famous for dishes such as:

Cacio e Pepe.

Carbonara.

Amatriciana.

Gricia.

But Roman food is much more than a list of famous pasta dishes.

It is about neighborhood trattorias, markets, bakeries, espresso bars, pizza, artichokes, porchetta and long lunches.

A traveler who understands the food of Rome experiences the city differently.

Every meal becomes part of the journey.

VENICE

VENICE – The Magic of Italian Food on the Water

Venice is unlike any other city in Italy.

Built around canals and islands, Venice developed a distinctive food culture shaped by its history as a major maritime trading power.

Venetian cuisine has an extraordinary relationship with the sea.

Fish and seafood, polenta, rice, vegetables and small plates all play important roles.

And then there is the Venetian bacaro.

A bacaro is a traditional Venetian wine bar where locals can stop for a glass of wine and small bites known as cicchetti.

For Daniel Bellino Zwicke, Venice has particular significance. His professional career included creating Bar Cichetti in New York City, a Venetian-style wine bar inspired by the bacari of Venice.

This connection between Venice and New York is part of what makes Zwicke’s approach to Italian food and travel particularly personal.

Naples: Pizza, Pasta and the Soul of Southern Italy

Few cities are as closely identified with a single food as Naples is with pizza.

But Naples is about much more than pizza.

It is a city of street food, seafood, pasta, pastries, coffee, tomatoes, mozzarella and intensely flavored southern Italian cooking.

From pizza Napoletana to pasta dishes and seafood, the food of Naples reflects the character of the city itself: direct, generous, lively and deeply rooted in tradition.

And Naples is also the gateway to some of Italy’s most famous destinations.

From here, travelers can explore:

Capri.

Sorrento.

Positano.

The Amalfi Coast.

Each has its own food traditions and personality.

POSITANO

The AMALFI COAST

The AMALFI COAST : Lemon, Seafood and La Dolce Vita

The Amalfi Coast has become one of the world’s most recognizable travel destinations.

The dramatic coastline, colorful villages and Mediterranean views make it unforgettable.

But the food is equally memorable.

Think:

Fresh seafood
Handmade pasta
Local lemons
Tomatoes
Olive oil
Mozzarella
Seafood pasta
Lemon desserts
Limoncello

The Amalfi Coast is a perfect example of why food and travel belong together.

The landscape influences the ingredients.

The ingredients influence the recipes.

The recipes become part of the culture.

And eventually, the food becomes part of what travelers remember most.

Sicily: Where Italian Food Meets the Mediterranean

Sicily is one of the most fascinating food destinations in Europe.

Its cuisine reflects the island’s complicated history and its position at the center of the Mediterranean.

Greek, Arab, Norman, Spanish and other influences have all contributed to Sicily’s extraordinary culinary identity.

Some of the foods travelers associate with Sicily include:

Arancini

Caponata

Pasta alla Norma

Sarde

Cannoli

Granita

And countless regional specialties.

Sicily demonstrates something essential about Italian cuisine:

Italian food is not static.

It is the product of geography, history, agriculture, migration and generations of cooks adapting traditions to the ingredients available to them.

ALBEROBELLO

PUGLIA

Puglia: The Italy of Olive Oil, Pasta and the Mediterranean

Puglia, in Italy’s southeast, has become increasingly popular with travelers looking for authentic regional food and a slower style of travel.

The region is known for its olive oil, vegetables, wheat, seafood and handmade pasta.

One of its most recognizable dishes is orecchiette, the small ear-shaped pasta traditionally associated with Puglia.

Recent culinary travel coverage has highlighted the region’s cheeses, olive oils, seafood, markets and traditional food producers, illustrating how food tourism in Puglia continues to attract travelers looking for regional experiences.

Puglia is another reminder that some of Italy’s most memorable food experiences don’t necessarily come from the most famous tourist attractions.

Sometimes they’re found at the table.

ORECCHIETTE

PUGLIE

40 of ITALY’S Most LOVED RECIPES by BELLINO

PASTA BOLOGNESE

“SECRET RECIPE by BELLINO”

Recipe

One of the attractions of Italian Food & Travels is that readers don’t have to simply dream about Italian food.

They can cook it.

The book includes a collection of Italian recipes connected to the culinary journey, allowing readers to bring some of the flavors of Italy into their own kitchens. Published descriptions of the book highlight dishes and recipes including Ragù Bolognese, Porchetta, Wild Boar Ragù, Pesto Genovese, Caponata, Lasagna, Spaghetti alle Vongole, Pasta Nerano, Ragu Napoletana and Amalfi-style lemon cake, among others.

That makes the book particularly appealing to two kinds of readers:

People who want to travel to Italy.

And people who want to taste Italy at home.

Ideally, of course, you are both.

What Does Italian Food Really Mean?

Perhaps the most interesting question isn’t “What is Italian food?”

It’s:

What does Italian food mean?

For many people, Italian food means family.

It means Sunday dinner.

It means Nonna.

It means pasta being made in the kitchen.

It means tomatoes simmering on the stove.

It means a bottle of wine opened with friends.

It means bread on the table.

It means staying at the table longer than you intended.

The cultural importance of food and sharing is deeply embedded in Italian and Mediterranean traditions. UNESCO’s description of the Mediterranean diet emphasizes not only ingredients and cooking, but also hospitality, social exchange, traditions and the communal act of eating together.

That’s why Italian food has such universal appeal.

It’s not simply about eating.

It’s about living.

Anthony Bourdain

Eatin CACIO PEPE

“TONY’S FAVORITE PASTA”

ANTHONY BOURDAIN’S ITALY

One of the special features associated with Italian Food & Travels is its section devoted to Anthony Bourdain’s Italy.

Bourdain understood something that every serious food traveler eventually discovers:

The best way to understand a place is often to eat your way through it.

His Italian travels took him across different regions, cities and culinary traditions.

The Bourdain section of Zwicke’s book follows that spirit, exploring Italian destinations and foods associated with Bourdain’s travels and culinary adventures.

For readers who discovered Italy through Bourdain’s television programs, this provides another reason to pick up the book.

It offers a chance to revisit Italy through the food, places and experiences that made Bourdain’s travel stories so memorable.

Why Food Is the Best Way to Travel Through Italy

You can read about Italy in a history book.

You can study Italy on a map.

You can watch documentaries about Italy.

But food gives you another kind of knowledge.

You learn about a place by tasting it.

You discover that northern Italian cooking can feel very different from southern Italian cooking.

You discover that pasta isn’t one thing.

You discover that every region has its own specialties.

You discover that the best meal isn’t always the most expensive meal.

And you discover that sometimes the most memorable restaurant is the little trattoria you almost walked past.

That’s the Italy that Italian Food & Travels tries to capture.

The Best Italian Travel Book for Food Lovers?

For readers searching for an Italian travel guide, Italian cookbook, Italian food travel book, or book about traveling through Italy, Italian Food & Travels offers an unusual combination.

It isn’t simply a guidebook.

It isn’t simply a cookbook.

And it isn’t simply a memoir.

It brings these elements together.

The book combines travel stories, destinations, food traditions, recipes and observations gathered from Daniel Bellino Zwicke’s decades of experience with Italian food, wine and travel.

That makes it a natural companion for anyone who loves:

Italian food
Italian recipes
Italy travel
Italian wine
Pasta
Pizza
Rome
Venice
Florence
Naples
Sicily
Tuscany
Puglia
The Amalfi Coast
Capri
Positano
Italian culture
Food history
Culinary travel

TAKE ITALY HOME With YOU Take

The wonderful thing about a great travel book is that it doesn’t have to end when the trip ends.

You can close the book, walk into your kitchen and make pasta.

You can open a bottle of Italian wine.

You can prepare a traditional dish.

You can invite friends over.

And suddenly, for a few hours, you’re back in Italy.

That is the real promise of Italian Food & Travels.

It isn’t merely about getting from Rome to Venice or Naples to Sicily.

It’s about discovering Italy through its food, its people, its traditions and its stories.

Italy is waiting.

The table is set.

All that’s missing is you.

Discover Italian Food & Travels by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

Italian Food & Travels: Rome, Venice, Pizza, Pasta & ? is a travel guide and cookbook for anyone who loves Italy, Italian food and the adventure of discovering a country one meal at a time.

Learn about the destinations.

Discover the recipes.

Follow the stories.

And start planning your next Italian adventure.

Mangia!

Read. Travel. Cook. Discover Italy.

BELLINO in ITALY

Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

At The TEATRO GRECO

SIRACUSA, SICILY

Pasta Sausages Meatballs & Gabagool – In the Movies

“Shove in your Saa – Seeg & Meatballs”

It all started with Pete Clemenza and The Godfather, a movie by Italian-American director

Francis FOrd Coppola. Yes, I guess we can say it started with Francis. It was Francis Ford Coppola who wrote the Screenplay along with the author of the Best Selling Novel – The Godfather, Mr. Mario Puzo, also an Italian-American. Coppola was the co author of The Godfather Screenplay along with Puzo. And it was Coppola who was the films director and decided what would be in the film and what wasn’t.

Coppola brilaintly sets the scene of Sonny Corleone meeting with his Capo’s and other Corleone Crime Family associates, discussing strtegies of their next moves after Virgil Sollozzo puts out a hit on Sonny’s father, Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brand). The attempted assasination of Vito Corleone fails, and Vito Corleone is still alive, as his son Santino (Sonny) becomes the acting Boss of the Corleone Crime Family.

As Sonny and his cronies discuss what to do, sitting around eating Chinese Food, his Capo, Peter Clemenza is making a pot of Italian Sunday Sauce Gravy with Sausages & Meatballs. Sonny’s younger brother Michael (Al Pacino) is in the room as well. He gets a call from his girlfriend Dianne, who ask Michael if she loves him. Michael doesn’t say it, but Clemenza being the smart old guy that he is, knows what has been said, and says, “Why don’t you tell that nice girl you Love her. I Love you with all of my Heart. If I don’t again soon, I’ma gonna Die” Clemenza chuckles.

Clemenza continues cooking his Sauce, then says to Michael, “Come over here kid. Learn something. You never know when you’re gonna to cook for 20 guys someday? You see? You start out with a little oil. Then you fry some Garlic. Then you throw in some Tomatoes, some Tomato Paste, you fry it up. You make sure it doesn’t stick. You get it to a boil. You shove in all your Sausage, and your Meatballs. Add a little bit of wine. And a little sugar, and that’s my trick.”

Yes, Clemenza making Sunday Sauce and Meatballs was a favorite scene which just about everyone recalls and talks about, and for good reasons. It’s a great scene. But let us not forget some other scenes that included Italian food. At Connie Corleone’s Wedding, we have a Corleone associate throwing a Gabagool Sandwich to Paulie (watch the video below).

Also, let’s not forget Sonny tearing off a piece of Italian Bread, dipping it into the Sauce that Sonny’s mother has simmering on the stove. Then Sonny eats it. There are a couple scenes when the the wole Corleone Family is eating at the table. There’s the scene when Connie has cooked a meal for herself and her husband Carlo. One of Carlo’s girlfriends (Goomada) calls up asking for Carlo. Connie picks up the phone, then her and Carlo start fighting.

Another memorable scene that involved Italian Food was the meeting between Michael, Virgil Sollozzo, and Captain McCluskey at Louie’s Italian Restaurant in the Bronx. The three of them are sitting around the table when McCluskey asked Sollozzo, “How the Italian Food in this Restaurant?”

Sollozzo replies, “Get the Veal. It’s the best in the City”

Michael Corleone goes into the bathroom, and gets the gun that is planted for him inside the bathroom, above the toilet. Michael comes back out into the dining room and shoots and kills both Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey. The calmly drops the gun, and walks out of the restaurant.

Clemenza Makes SUNDAY SAUCE

ITALIAN GRAVY

Recipe

BIG NIGHT

In the annals of Italian Food in movies, Stanley Tucci’s Big Night is way up near the top. Some would probably put it on the top of their list. Yes when it comes to Italian Food in movies, Big Night is a heavyweight. The movie centers around two brothers from Italy, in their Italian Restaurant on the Jersey Shore, Louis Prima, and a monumental dish of Southern Italy, known as a Timpano (aka Timballo).

The brothers restaurant is not doing that well financially. The food is very good, but this is the 1950s, and the locals don’t get Chef Primo’s authentic Italian Food. When a fellow (rival) restaurant owner tells brothers Scondo (Stanley Tucci) and Primo that he knows the famous Sicilian-American singer Louis Prima, and that he is going to get him to come to the brothers restaurant, this get the ball rolling on a very special dinner hosted by the brothers, featuring Chef Primo’s wonderful food, and the centerpiece of the meal, The Timpano, a luxurious dish made of baked maccheroni, meats, sauce, and cheeses stuffed into a dough shell that’s baked in a pan called a “Timpano” by which the dish gets his name.

The movie stars Stanley Tucci as Secondo, Tony Shaloub as Primo, Secondo’s brother, Isabella Rossellini as Gabriella, with Minnie Driver, and Marc Anthony as the busboy.

The wonderful music, fine cast, and the scenes preparing the Timapno and other dishes is superb, and it’s these scenes that captivated audiences, and inspired to make their very own Big Night Style Italian Dinner Parties. The rest is history, and people still talk about Big Night, the Timpano, and wonderful Italian Dinner.

The TIMPANO

Stanley Tucci, Marc Anthony, & Tony Shaloub

BIG NIGHT

recipe

Goodfellas

Johnny (Frank Pelligrino Sr,) & Vinny (Charlie Scorsese)

DINNER in PRISON

GOODFELLAS

There are several Italian Food scenes in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, a true life story of factions of the New York Mafia members and associates, based on Nick Pellegi’s book Wiseguy. Of course the most famous food scene is when Henry (Ray Liotta) is in Prison with Vinny (Charlie Scorsese), Johnny Dio, and “Big Paulie” (Paul Sorvino). Viiny is making the Sunday Sauce Italian Gravy with Meatballs and Pork Neck, as Johnny Dio cooks up some Steaks. The scene is quite memorable, and people talk about it all the time, especially the way Paul Sorvino shaves the Garlic “Ravor Thin” with a ravor, and Big Paulie telling Vinny, “Vinny don’t put too many Onions in the Sauce.” You gotta just Love it?

The scene with Henry making Veal Scallopine and his brother stirring “The Sauce” is memorable as well.

So if you Love Movies, Italian Food, and Italian Food in movies, there’s a good chance you already know these films and the Food Scenes in them, and if you’re like me, you talk about them, and watch the movies over and over again. When you’ve got something good, you stick with it. And that’s The Godfather, Coppola and Pacino, Clemenza and his Sauce. Big Night Stanley Tucci and The Timpano, and Marty Scorsese’s Goodfellas, Robert DeNiro, The Prison Sauce, and the main character Henry Hill, and the late great Ray Liotta, who turned in such a great performance, he was even better than DeNiro. “Yes he was.”

Watch the movies, enjoy, make a Sunday Sauce, and listen to Sinatra. What’s better than that?

GOODFELLAS

PRISON DINNER

GOODFELLAS “PRISON SAUCE” Recipe

JOHNNY DIO’S STEAK – Recipe

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

SUNDAY SAUCE alla CLEMENZA

all PACINO

From The GODFATHER

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“MAKE a BIG NIGHT TIMPANO”

NONNA BELLINO’S COOKBOOK

RECIPES FROM MY SICILIAN NONNA

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Note : Timpano is also known as TIMBALLO in most parts

of Southern Italy, and there are numerous variations, and recipes,

like the one in Grandma Bellino’s Cookbook.

iL TIMPANO

“BIG NIGHT”

CARLO & CONNIE FIGHT

Connie : “Why don’t you bring your WHORE home for dinner” ?

SINATRA SAUCE

The COOKBOOK

COOK & EAT LIKE FRANK

His FAVORITE ITALIAN RECIPES

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Paulie’s Friend throws him a Gabagool Sandwich

“Hey Paulie! I got some Gabagool” !!!

At Connie Corleone’s Wedding

Paulie’s friend (Mobster) has a couple Gabagool (Capicola) Sandwiches

and throws one to Paulie, who says, “Hey you Stupid Jerk” !

Watch this at Second 00.48 on the video clip.

“Don’t Overcook it.”

“You Overcook it, it Defeats its Own Purpose”

Robert DeNiro

RAGING BULL

PS “And Let Us Not Forget RAGING BULL and the Steak Scene”

“It’s Like a Piece of CHARCOAL”

“BRING IT OVER” !!!

“YOU WANT YOUR STEAK” !!!!

JAKE’S STEAK Recipe

la Scarpetta – Dipping Italian Bread in Sauce

La SCARPETTA

There is a name for wiping the plate with bread, and it means little shoe Fare la Scarpetta. The last of the sugo pushed round the plate with a crust, the plate going back to the kitchen looking washed. In a restaurant it was bad manners. At nonna’s it was the highest compliment a plate could receive, and she watched for it.

Nobody agrees why it is a shoe. The bread scoops like a slipper, or the crust looks like one. Either way the word is on every Italian table.
 
Author DANIEL BELLINO 
And His Latest COOKBOOK 
The ITALIAN NONNA COOKBOOK
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The Italian Nonna Cookbook – NY Italian author Daniel Bellino Z

The ITALIAN NONNA COOKBOOK

“COOK LIKE a NONNA”

100 ITALIAN NONNA RECIPE

Including “PACINO PASTA”

AMAZON.com

The ITALIAN NONNA COOKBOOK

“COOK LIKE a NONNA”

Authentic Italian Recipes, Family Traditions & The Soul of Italian Home Cooking

What if you could bring the warmth, flavor, and timeless traditions of an Italian Nonna right into your own kitchen?

The Italian Nonna Cookbook takes you on a delicious journey into the heart of Italian home cooking—where recipes are made with love, generous portions, simple ingredients, and the kind of time-tested techniques that have been passed from one generation to the next.

Written by bestselling Italian cookbook author Daniel Bellino Zwicke, an Italian-American New Yorker with more than 30 years of experience in New York City’s Italian restaurant and Italian wine businesses, this book is the result of a lifetime immersed in Italian food.

For more than 40 years, Daniel Bellino Zwicke has traveled throughout Italy, eating, cooking, tasting, and gathering recipes and food traditions from Italian Nonnas, restaurants, trattorias, salumerias, markets, and food artisans. From the bustling streets of Naples and Rome to the kitchens of Sicily, Calabria, Puglia, Tuscany, Liguria, Genoa, Florence, Venice, Capri, and Ischia, these experiences have helped capture what makes Italian food so beloved around the world.

A Taste of Italy in Every Chapter

PACINO PASTA RECIPE & MORE …

Inside The Italian Nonna Cookbook, you’ll discover an enticing collection of classic Italian dishes inspired by the food Italians actually love to eat at home.

From comforting bowls of pasta and soup to leisurely Sunday dinners, you’ll find recipes for:

Authentic Italian Pasta Dishes
Soups & Hearty Italian Comfort Foods
Antipasti & Italian Appetizers
Classic Chicken Dishes
Fresh Italian Seafood
Steaks, Italian-Style
Tender Lamb & Pork Dishes
Frittata & Rustic Egg Dishes
Classic Italian Meatballs
Traditional Braciole
Sunday Sauce & Italian Gravy
Italian Vegetables & Side Dishes
Irresistible Italian Nonna Desserts

And, of course, the book celebrates those legendary dishes that seem to taste even better when served around a crowded family table.

Discover the Secrets of Nonna’s Kitchen

Italian cooking isn’t about complicated techniques or expensive ingredients. It’s about knowing how to coax incredible flavor from simple, honest food.

It’s the aroma of garlic and onions slowly cooking in olive oil, a pot of Tomato Sauce simmering on the stove. A batch of Nonna’s fresh made Meatballs, Lasagna, Ricotta Cookies and so many good things. Tasty Italian Food – It Nourishes, it makes us Happy!

Whether you are an experienced Italian cook, an Italian-American who grew up eating Nonna’s food, someone with Italian roots who wants to reconnect with the cuisine of your family, or simply someone who loves great Italian food, this cookbook belongs in your kitchen.

Open the book. Tie on your apron. Put the pot on the stove.

Then cook like a Nonna.

Mangia!

RECIPES INDCLUDE :

LASAGNA
TOMATO SAUCE
PASTA PUTTANESCA
DOLLY’S MINESTRONE
PASTA FAZZOOL
RAGU NAPOLETANA
BRACIOLE
SUNDAY SAUCE
FRITTATA
PACINO PASTA

TASTY DESSERTS – Including SINATRA CHEESECAKE

The ITALIAN NONNA COOKBOOK

COOK LIKE a NONNA

100 NONNA RECIPES

Daniel Bellino Z

AMAZON.com

AL PACINO

“PACINO PASTA”

RECIPE in The ITALIAN NONNA COOKBOOK

AMAZON.com

Pacino Pasta and New Book by Daniel Bellino

AL PACINO

PASTA alla PACINO

Daniel Bellino

Al Pacino’s favorite pasta? It’s Spaghetti Aglio e Olio, (Spaghetti Garlic & Oil). Al’s favorite. I know. Al used to come to the restaurant Barbetta, in New York’s theater district. I was the wine director there. Mr. Pacino once asked me, “Can you guys make me Spaghetti Aglio e Olio.?” To which I replied, “Of course we can. For you Mr. Pacino, we will make it.” And so we did. We had. He made us an offer we couldn’t refuse. The dish, as you should well know, is beloved by most Italians, whether in Italy, or here in America. We Italian Americans just love it. Especially in the New York Metropolitan area of New York & New Jersey. We grew up with it, as Al Pacino growing up as a boy in the Bronx, New York, and as a young man living in Manhattan. It’s part of his life, and is in his blood. He’s Italian. Italian-American from the Bronx. New York Italians? We love: Baked Clams, Sunday Sauce, Lasagna, Meatballs, Linguine Vongole, and yes, as Mr. Pacino, “Spaghetti Aglio e Olio.”

Take note, that Parade Magazine April 1, 2025 picked up on my story of Al Pacino and myself (Daniel Bellino Zwicke). The wrote a little piece, quoting me, and telling the story of Al Pacino and me. That night at Barbetta, and the subsequent act of me telling the story (with recipe) in my book Positano The Amalfi Coast – Travel Guide – Cookbook. Parade magazine picked up on it, and my story and Al Pacino and I (Daniel Bellino) has snowballed, in print and all over the internet. And yes, “I’m proud it is.”

And so I could not resist telling the story again. The story and myself – Daniel Bellino Zwicke, and the great Al Pacino. I’ve been a huge fan, as most Americans of Mr. Pacino for some 50 plus years now. “We are Paisons,” and blood brothers in a way. We are both Italian-American New Yorkers, with Sicilian ancestry and roots, from the same area of Sicily. Al Pacino’s family, believe it or not, are from Corelone, Sicily. Yes I said Corleone, the same town in Sicily as the fictional character Pacino played in the movie The Godfather, as one Michael Corleone, whose father Vito is from the Sicilian town Corleone.

My family, the Bellino’s are from the nearby town of Lercara Friddi, Sicily, the same town that the famed Mafia Boss Charles “Lucky” Luciano is from, as well as Frank Sinatra’s father – Martino Severino Sinatra. That’s our connection – Frank Sinatra, Al Pacino, and Me – Daniel Bellino.

And yes, I greatly admire both Frank Sinatra, and Al Pacino, and I’m proud of our small connection as Sicilian Americans. “Paisons.”

PASTA alla PACINO – RECIPE

INGREDIENTS :

8 ounces imported Italian Spaghetti

8 tablespoons Olive Oil

5 cloves of Garlic, peeled and sliced

½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

2 tablespoons fresh chopped Parsley (optional)

Note : Make sure to use good quality imported Italian Spaghetti, and Italian Olive Oil.

Fill a 3-4 quart pot ¾ full of water and add 1 teaspoon Sea Salt. Turn heat to high and bring the water to the boil.

Add olive oil and the garlic to a large frying pan. Cook on low heat until the garlic just starts to brown. Turn the heat off. Add the red pepper and stir.

Drop the spaghetti into the boiling water. Cook, following the directions on the box (about 9 – 10 minutes).

When the spaghetti is finished cooking, drain it into a colander, reserving about ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water.

Reserve a ¼ cup of pasta water to mix into the finished plate of pasta.

Place the drained spaghetti into the pan with the garlic & olive oil. Toss and mix the spaghetti so it is completely coated with the sauce. Add a little of the parsley and a little of the pasta cooking water if needed. Mix everything together.

Plate the spaghetti on two plates, dividing it evenly. Sprinkle on the remaining Parsley. Serve immediately. It does not require cheese, but you may put on a little if you like. Just not too much. Enjoy.

Note : Yes, this book is all about Italian Nonnas and their wonderful home-cooked Italian food recipes. Going a little bit out of that realm with this story and recipe of Al Pacino’s favorite pasta – Spaghetti Aglio e Olio. Yes. Well yes and no. Al is Italian, of Sicilian ancestry, and though he does not at the time of this printing have any grandchildren, but we are certain with having 4 children that he will one day have grandchildren and become an Italian Nonno.

Anyway, we love Al. And who doesn’t? So, we have included our Italian-American brother here. “Basta”

…. Daniel ….

Excerpted from soon to be published book by author Daniel Bellino Zwicke. Working Title – Italian Nonna Cookbook … Anticipated publishing date – November 2026

Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

VERONA, ITALY

“BOOKS” on AMAZON

DINNER at “LUIGI’S”

A Fictitious Restaurant in The BRONX

The GODFATHER 1972

AL Pacino as Michael Corleone

Al Lettieri as Sollozzo

And Sterling Hayden as Captain McClusky

“DINNER with AL”

Daniel Bellino Z – Bestselling New York Italian Cookbook Author

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

The TEATRO GRECO

SIRACUSA, SICILY

Author DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE

Daniel Bellino-Zwicke, often known as Daniel Bellino, is a New York based cookbook author, particularly known for his Italian cookbooks. He is also recognized as a prominent figure in New York’s Italian wine scene, and as the chef / wine director, and creator of America’s 1st Venetian wine bar (Bacaro) Bar Cichetti.

Bellino has authored several best-selling cookbooks, including La Tavola, The Feast of the Seven Fishes, Got Any Kahlua?, Sunday Sauce, and Segreto Italiano/Secret Italian Recipes & Favorite Dishes. He is currently working on books about Chianti and other Italian and American cookbooks.

Daniel is a prominent figure in the New York Italian Food & Wine scene.

He has more than 30 years experience as a wine and restaurant Professional.

Bellino has a strong connection to Italy, particularly the Amalfi Coast, and often spends time there, staying in locations like Capri, Minori (on a lemon farm), and Salerno. He enjoys exploring the region, visiting local businesses, and sharing his experiences through his writing and social media. In Salerno, he particularly mentions staying at the Hotel Plaza and enjoying the local cuisine and wine. He also mentions family in Salerno, like his cousin Memo who has a Mozzarella factory in Salerno. These places have all been written about by Daniel, in his book Positano The Amalfi Coast – Travel Guide – Cookbook, Available on Amazon.

Bellino’s work often reflects his passion for Italian culture, food, and travel, with many of his books and blog posts focusing on his experiences in Italy. He frequently shares photos and stories from his travels, particularly from the Amalfi Coast, showcasing his love for the region’s food, scenery, and people.

Daniel has traveled extensively throughout ITALY to study its Regional Cuisine

and Culture.

POSITANO The AMALFI COAST

TRAVEL GUIDE – COOKBOOK

AMAZON.com

BESTSELLING ITALIAN COOKBOOKS

AMAZON.com

Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

VERONA – ITALY

The Genesis of New York Pizza – Lomabardi’s Pizzeria 53 Spring Street New York NY

The FATHER of NEW YORK PIZZA

FILLIPO MILONE

New findings uncover an untold history of early New York City pizzerias. Lombardi’s and John’s on Bleecker Street likely share a previously unknown founder.

A forgotten generation of late 19th century Italian pizza makers in America has been discovered, changing our understanding of how pizza arrived in the United States. After 10 years of searching through archival records for an upcoming book, Peter Regas is going public with his findings by launching pizzahistorybook.com and announcing a presentation at the U.S. Pizza Museum in Chicago on February 23.

Of this forgotten older generation, one baker stands out. Filippo Milone came to New York in the late 19th century and likely established two of the most famous New York pizzerias that still exist today, Lombardi’s on Spring Street and John’s of Bleecker Street.

Regas explains, “Filippo Milone likely established pizzerias in at least six locations throughout New York City. Of these locations, three later became famous under different names: ‘Pop’s,’ ‘John’s,’ and ‘Lombardi’s.’ Pop’s in Brooklyn closed decades ago, but the other two in Manhattan still exist. Milone, a pioneer in what has become a $45 billion industry, later died in 1924, without children to preserve his story buried in an unmarked grave in Queens.”

Peter Regas discovered this Filippo Milone pizzeria advertisement in the May 9, 1903 issue of Il Telegrafo, an Italian language newspaper published in New York City. [Peter Regas’ scan/New York Public Library]

The documents Regas discovered reveal a pattern of Milone establishing pizzerias—sometimes classified as delicatessens, groceries, or bakeries—and then handing them off to others while he moved on to other locations. Regas says, “Intentionally or not he planted seeds all over Manhattan and Brooklyn. Some of these pizzerias quickly died off. But three of his pizzerias became iconic lasting for decades. No one else can say that.”

Until now, Lombardi’s origin story has commonly been understood to be that Italian immigrant Gennaro Lombardi, opened a grocery store at 53 1/2 Spring Street around 1897 that eventually became America’s first licensed pizzeria in 1905. While proof of that license has never materialized, Regas has tracked down Gennaro Lombardi’s birth record, naturalization papers, and other supporting documents that tell a different story. Gennaro Lombardi first came to America in November of 1904 at age 17, classified as a “laborer”. If he became involved with the pizzeria at 53 1/2 Spring Street in 1905, it was as an employee not as an owner. By that time, it had already been established as a pizzeria probably by Milone in 1898 but certainly by another proprietor named Giovanni Santillo who followed Milone in 1901.

Peter Regas discovered this newspaper advertisement for Antica Pizzeria Napoletana at 53 ½ Spring Street, featuring proprietor Giovanni Santillo, in the March 25, 1905 issue of Il Telegrafo. [Peter Regas’ scan/New York Public Library]

Likewise, John’s on Bleecker Street has long been understood to have been established in 1929 but documents show 1915 to be the actual year. In 1915 Milone took over a bakery at 175 Sullivan St. The 1916 city directory notes him selling “Pies” there which given Milone’s career is almost certainly a term for pizza. By the time John Sasso (a relative of Milone’s by marriage) takes over the pizzeria with a partner, the 1925 city directory lists “Pizzeria Port’Alba” at 175 Sullivan St. which, given his history, was likely Milone’s name for it in 1915. The pizzeria eventually moved to Bleecker Street and is known today as “John’s.” A neon sign in the window still shows the name “Pizzeria Port’Alba”—an echo of the true history of the pizzeria.

Regas, an independent researcher, was originally researching Chicago pizzerias when he discovered holes in New York’s origin story. His findings include the earliest known documents that mention pizza and pizzerias in America. While historians have speculated that businesses where the dough was made primarily for pizza, may have existed in America during this period, no record of these establishments, or their owners, has been brought to light until now.

Regas’ book on the history of pizza in the U.S. will be released later in 2019. He has started sharing information that supports his claims including archival records, newspaper advertisements with translations, photographs, and family stories at pizzahistorybook.com.

LOMBARDI’S PIZZA

Spring Street, New York NY

Perhaps the most famous early 20th century U.S. pizzeria was at 53 Spring St. in New York City. Now called “Lombardi’s Pizza” (relocated at 32 Spring St.), it’s often claimed Gennaro Lombardi established the first U.S. pizzeria there in 1905. However recently discovered evidence shows this claim to be false in two respects: it wasn’t the first pizzeria, and it wasn’t established by Lombardi. City directories show Giovanni Albano’s pizzeria at 59 1/2 Mulberry St. (NYC) was already operating in 1894. Additionally, Filippo Milone, perhaps the U.S.’s most significant early pizza maker, very likely established the 53 Spring St. store as a combination pizzeria/grocery in the summer of 1898. By August 1904, Italian-American newspaper advertisements show a subsequent owner, Giovanni Santillo, operating “Antica Pizzeria Napoletana” at 53 Spring St. months before Lombardi even arrived in the U.S. in November 1904. Gennaro Lombardi may have worked for Santillo in 1905 as a newly arrived 17-year-old immigrant, but he didn’t own it in 1905. After a series of owners, Lombardi—who owned the pizzeria briefly in 1908—repurchased it from Francesco D’Errico around 1918 and ran it until he died in 1958. Once called “Antica Pizzeria Napoletana,” then “Grande Pizzeria e Ristorante Napoletano,” and then—after the family bought the building in 1939—”Lombardi’s Restaurant”, this post details the forgotten early history of the men who owned this legendary pizzeria.

NEW YORK CITY DIRECTORY EVIDENCE:

City and business directories are the easiest and most direct way to find out who owned what in Manhattan at the turn of the last century. Searching directories for “53 Spring St.” or “53 1/2 Spring St.” (both addresses were used for the pizzeria at different times), one finds these owners and their occupations shown on the chart below:

If we had no other evidence, directories alone would be enough to falsify the claim Lombardi established the pizzeria in 1905. We have to wait until 1920 for Gennaro Lombardi to appear in a Manhattan city directory (shown in red). Directories are not perfect and its important to understand their limits. But to claim directories misidentified a business owner for more than 15 years is untenable.

While city and business directories are a great source to find a proprietor’s name and address, they are sometimes ambiguous in the description of the business. Note, for example, how various directories described Filippo Milone’s occupation in 1899. At times he’s listed as a grocer, other times he owns a delicatessen, and still other times he’s a baker. All of these different directories describe the same store at roughly the same time. And note not until 1922 do the directories describe the store at 53 Spring St. as a pizzeria. To determine when this store started selling pizza, we need more detailed information. For this, we turn to NYC Italian-American newspapers.

ITALIAN-AMERICAN NEWSPAPER EVIDENCE:

Tommasi Braibanti owned the restaurant at 53 Spring St, probably from the summer of 1897 until the summer of 1898. Did he establish the pizzeria? Probably not. After finding this August 1897 advertisement in the newspaper L’Araldo Italiano, we can probably rule out Braibanti as he looks to be operating a pastry shop and not selling pizza in the ad below.

But what about if we go back to the baker who took over from Braibanti in the summer of 1898, one Filippo Milone. What was Milone “baking” in his grocery/delicatessen/bakery? Unfortunately, a Milone ad while he owned 53 Spring Street from 1898-1900 has not been discovered yet. But shortly after he left Spring St. he opens up a pizzeria at 130 W. 26th St. in 1901 and then a pizzeria at 192 Grand St in 1903. Both pizzerias were documented with ads:

Reviewing Filippo Milone’s entire career, we only have a evidence he baked pizza as opposed to a bread or a pastry. So when he’s identified as a “baker” at 53 Spring St., the strong likelihood is he’s running a pizzeria there between 1898-1900 and thus was probably the man who established the pizzeria at 53 Spring Street.

If we look at the 1902 Trow’s Business Directory, we see Giovanni Santillo is listed not under “Bakers” but under “Bakers, Pie.” Given the context of his career as a pizza maker, this strongly suggests the “pie” they are referring to is pizza, and 53 Spring St was very probably already a pizzeria by 1902. The next advertisement I found was Giovanni Santillo’s. Rarely are we this fortunate to get this much detailed information. We can definitively say that by August 1904, 53 Spring St. was a pizzeria owned by Giovanni Santillo. Note the vertical description of “pizza imbottite” (“stuffed pizza”) and the claim that Santillo, “was in one of Naples main pizzerias for a long time.”

In 1907 the following ad was published in “Piedigrotta alla Villa Vittorio Emanuele III” a pamphlet edited by Luigi Pane.

The backstory here is that Santillo took a trip back to Naples with his wife Rosa during the period 1906-1907. Giuseppe Amabile, Rosa’s nephew, along with Agostino Perera ran the pizzeria in their absence. When the Santillo’s came back in October, 1907 Giovanni Santillo took over again. Apparently this caused a conflict with Perera as he thought he owned a share of the business. After a bitter falling out, in 1908 Perera left and briefly opened “Nuova Pizzeria Port’Alba” across the street at 50 Spring Street.

PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE:

What evidence supports Lombardi’s claims? The earliest and only known evidence showing Lombardi owned the business before 1918 is the famous photograph of Antonio Pero and Gennaro Lombardi in front of the pizzeria. Previously, the photo was thought to have been taken in 1905. However, a detailed analysis shows the photo was almost certainly taken in the fall of 1908 shortly after the 21-year-old Lombardi bought the pizzeria from Giovanni Santillo who then returned to Italy.

Antonino Pero & Genaro Lombardi

LOMBARDI’S

Spring Street, New York NY

1908

However, in 1908 Lombardi doesn’t remain owner for long. When the 1909 Trow’s Manhattan Business Directory is released in the spring of 1909 a baker named Francesco D’Errico (a relative of Lombardi’s through marriage) is now listed as the restaurant’s sole owner. D’Errico was previously a baker at 234 N. 5th St. in Williamsburg (Brooklyn). It appears likely that D’Errico and Lombardi exchanged businesses as Lombardi eventually appears for the first time in a directory in the 1912 Trow’s Brooklyn Business Directory as the owner of the bakery at 234 N. 5th Street.

WORLD WAR I REGISTRATION CARD EVIDENCE:

When did Lombardi buy back the Spring St. pizzeria from D’Errico? We’re fortunate WWI Registration Cards document when the buy back occurred. They show an ownership change after June 5, 1917 but before September 12, 1918. Since the 1918 City Directory still listed D’Errico as the owner the ownership change probably occurred sometime in mid-1918.

And from then until the day he died in 1958, Gennaro Lombardi was the owner of the pizzeria at 53 Spring Street. Initially called ….

CONCLUSION:

Putting together all the primary source evidence we get the following chart as to who owned the Spring Street pizzeria.

SUNDAY SAUCE

AMERICA’S FAVORITE ITALIAN COOKBOOK

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

AMAZON.com

Italian American New Yorkers Adventures of The Table – Friends Family and Italian Food – La Tavola by Bellino

La TAVOLA

ITALIAN-AMERICAN NEW YORKER’S

ADVENTURE’S of The TABLE

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

AMAZON.com

La TAVOLA

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

Ever Dream of taking a Wonderful Journey. A Journey through Italian-American New York and Italian America., complete with pots of Sunday Sauce, Ethereal Bolognese Sauce, Platters of Antipasto, Perfect Espresso, with trays of Cannoli and Sfogiatelle. Do you Dream of one day Eating the famed Christmas Eve, “Feast of the 7 Fish” or crave a perfect plate of Spaghetti Carbonara?

Do you have visions of the Amalfi Coast of Lemoncello, Fiano, and a flawless Plate of Linguine al Vongole. Would you like to know how to throw the perfect Italian Dinner Party, complete with Antipasti, Pasta, Chianti, and Dolce, while the sounds of Frank (Sinatra) and Dino play along? Do you want to know which are the best; Italian Restaurants, Caffes, Pastry Shops, and Pork Stores. Would you like to know how to make the Perfect “Negroni” or pick out the perfect Italian Wine and how to make a textbook Bolognese? Where to go in Italy and what to see? If you’d like to live these things, or just read about them vicariously, then take the journey, the Beautifully Wondrous Journey of La Tavola. Eat as Al Pacino, Jake LaMotta, Sinatra, and Dino had eaten over the years. La Tavola is part Cookbook, Guide-Book. Some have said it’s like a Italian-American New York version of a YEAR in PROVENCE, but with Italian Food in New York, and with Italian-Americans instead of French Food, people, and places?

LA TAVOLA entertains and Inspires with stories, antidotes, and recipes of Sunday Sauce (Gravy), Sausage & Peppers, Meatball Parms, and the “FEAST of The 7 FISH” Then MANGIA!Italian-American New Yorker’s Adventures of the Table. With 30 Wonderful Bellino Family Recipes.

Daniel Bellino Zwicke & La TAVOLA

Google Synopsis / Review

“La TAVOLA: Adventures and Misadventures of Italian American New Yorker’s“ is a popular culinary memoir and cookbook written by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke. [1]

Often described as an Italian-American New York version of A Year in Provence, the book blends storytelling with practical food guidance. It explores the cultural and culinary landscape of New York’s Italian communities. [1]

Key Highlights of the Book

Dual Nature: It serves as part memoir/guidebook and part cookbook. [1]
Authentic Recipes: Includes 30 traditional Bellino family recipes, featuring classic comfort foods like Sunday Sauce (gravy), Meatball Parmigiano, and Sausage & Peppers. [1]
Cultural Guides: Offers advice on how to throw a perfect Italian dinner party, pick regional wines, and locate the best pork stores, pastry shops, and cafés in New York. [1]
Pop Culture Connections: Weaves in anecdotes of how iconic figures like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Al Pacino dined. [1, 2]

About the Author

Daniel Bellino-Zwicke is a long-time New York City wine and restaurant professional. He is well-known for creating Bar Cichetti, recognized as America’s first Venetian-style wine bar. Beyond La Tavola, he has authored several other highly-regarded books celebrating Italian culture, including Sunday Sauce, The Feast of the 7 Fish, and Mangia Italiano. [1, 2, 3]

Availability

You can purchase the book in digital or print formats through major retailers:

E-Book: Available for digital download on the Amazon Kindle Store.
Paperback: Physical copies are listed on Amazon.
Reviews: Reader discussions and summaries can be found on Goodreads.

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

“COOKING UP SOME BOLOGNESE”

One of DANIEL’S LATEST

ITALIAN FOOD & TRAVELS

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

“The BEST of ITALY’

TRAVEL GUIDE – COOKBOOK

With 50 of ITALY’S BEST RECIPES

ROME VENICE PIZZA PASTA & ???

AMAZON.com

Daniel Bellino and The Greenwich Village Newport Steak

NEWPORT STEAKS

FLORENCE MEAT MARKET

GREENWICH VILLAGE NEW YORK

Daniel Bellino Zwicke & “GREENWICH VILLAGE NEWPORT STEAKS

Daniel Bellino-Zwicke, a well-known New York City cookbook author and Italian-American food writer, is one of the most passionate culinary champions of the Greenwich Village Newport Steak. Through his books (like Sunday Sauce) and his blog, Greenwich Village Italian, he has heavily documented the history, culture, and preparation of this hyper-local steak. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

What is a Newport Steak?

The Cut: It is a small, tender steak cut from the tri-tip (the bottom sirloin) of the cow. [1, 2]
The Origins: It was invented in 1947 by Jack Ubaldi, an Italian immigrant and the original owner of the legendary Florence Prime Meat Market at 5 Jones Street in Greenwich Village. [1, 2]
The Name: Ubaldi wanted a catchy name to help sell this lesser-known, affordable cut to local neighborhood artists and bohemian residents. He named it the “Newport” because the curved shape of the cut resembled the Nike-like half-moon logo on a pack of Newport cigarettes. [1, 2]
Alternative Names: While known strictly as a “Newport Steak” in New York’s historic Italian butcher shops, the broader tri-tip cut is called a Santa Maria steak on the West Coast. [1, 2]

The Daniel Bellino Connection

Bellino-Zwicke treats the Newport Steak as a culinary symbol of a bygone Greenwich Village era. He frequently shares recipes that involve pan-searing the steaks to medium-rare in a hot skillet with butter, olive oil, and mushrooms, often pairing the meal with Italian wines like Barolo or Brunello. [1, 2, 3]

He historically sourced his meats from Florence Prime Meat Market and also highly recommends Pino’s Prime Meat Market on Sullivan Street, another landmark neighborhood institution that masterfully cuts and trims the Newport.

Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

CIPRIANI DOWNTOWN

NEW YORK CITY

SUNDAY SAUCE

AMERICA’S FAVORITE ITALIAN COOKBOOK

AMAZON.com

The GREENWICH VILLAGE NEWPORT STEAK

The Perfect Newport Steak? What? I make it. Not everyone can. Number 1, you have to start with a Great Steak, a Newport Steak. A Steak not known to many. Well if you’re fortunate to live in New York’s Greenwich Village, you might know about them. Then again, you might not, cause just because you live in The Village, doesn’t mean you know of this little thing of wonder, The Newport Steak. The Newport Steak is a thing of wonder, especially if you love Steak but don’t want to shell out about $19.00 a piece or more to get one. That’s uncooked from the butcher, a nice Prime Sirloin Steak that is. Now a Newport Steak on the other hand will cost you about $7.50 on the average, or roughly 2 1/2 times less than a Sirloin, and you do not give up on taste or quality. It’s just as good. Maybe better.

A NEWPORT Ready for the PAN

Screen Shot 2017-04-21 at 2.38.09 PM.png

Cooking My NEWPORT STEAKS

to PERFECTION

A Perfectly Cooked Newport Steak

“THE STEAK of GREENWICH VILLAGE”

Cooked by Cookbook Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

Greenwich Village New York

As The ROLLING STONES

Play in The Background

SWEET !!!!

It is said that The Newport Steak was created by Jack Ubaldi, an Italian immigrant who owned a Butcher Shop in New York’s heavily Italian Greenwich Village some time around 1947. The Newport Steak is actually most commonly known as Tri Tip Steak and comes from the Bottom Sirloin portion of a cow. The Tri Tip is not well known nor much in demand. Well not among the masses, but we “Smart Ones” know better. We always get equal or better quality of anything, but always pay less. Thus the case of a Tri-Tip or if as we call it in New York’s Greenwich Village “The Newport Steak” In California, Californians know it as The Santa Maria Steak.

Anyway, Mr. Ubaldi, wanted to sell this lesser known cut to his customers, but didn’t want to sell it as Tri Tip, he wanted a catchyer name. A name that would help sell this wonderful little steak, that was oh so tasty and cost far less than Sirloin, T-Bone, Porter House or Rib Steaks. He wanted a name that in the name itself would sell the steak. One day jack Ubaldi was looking at a pack of Newport Cigarettes and noticed that the logo of Newports was more or less the same shape of the Tri Tip Steaks that he cut. Right then and there Jack Ubaldi named his cut of Tri Tip

“The Newport Steak” the name caught on and they’ve been selling Newport Steaks at Florence Meat Market on Jones Street in Greenwich Village ever since. They’re are a couple other spots in the area where you can get a Newport Steak. Ottomanelli’s down the block at Bleecker and Joes Streets sells them, as well as Pino’s Prime Meats on Sullivan Street, and is a place where I often pick up a Newport Steak or two, along with ones from the original Florence Meat Market.

Well, I picked up a couple the other night and cooked them for me and a friend. As usual, they came out perfectly. We had a Couple good bottles of wine as well, in a nice bottle of Villa Sesta Chianti and a fine Bordeaux. And if that wasn’t good enough, and don’t you think it should have been? We listened to The Rolling Stones while I cooked those “Tasty Steaks” some Roast Potatoes and Carrots. Those steaks, yes they were Perfect. Not many people can cook a Steak as Good as Me, “No Brag Just Fact.” Yes it’s Fact, I can cook a Steak Better than anyone of ever met or eaten a steak cooked by another, and that includes Steaks I’ve had at Sparks Steak House, Peter Luger and other places renowned for their steaks. If you knew me, you’d know I’m telling the truth. Ask anyone who has ever eaten a Steak that I’ve cook, “They tell you.”

Any way, yes the Steaks were perfect. My mouth is watering now just thinking about them. Dam, I tell you, Those Newport Steaks were “So Dam Good” they were practically “Orgasmic” I kid you not. Ask my Pal Chris, or my Buddies Raoul or Jimmy S, they’ll tell you. So we had The Perfect Steak, drank Chianti, and listened to The World’s Greatest Rock Band of All-Time “The Rolling Stones.” And yes Boys and Girls, Ladies and Gentlemen, “Sometimes Life Can Be Blissful.” Yes It Can.

The Newport Steak

Is Cut From Tri-Tip Bottom Sirloin

A Couple Nice Newport Steaks

All Ready to Cook Up

IS THE NEWPORT STEAK GREENWICH VILLAGE’S OWN ?

Is that little thing of Beauty The Newport Steak Greenwich Villages Own? Yes Boys and Girls it is! I don’t know if anyone has ever coined it that. I do know that those of us in Greenwich Village and New Yorkers in other parts of the city know about it and that it is of Greenwich Village. And you see, just because you live in Greenwich Village doesn’t mean that you automatically know about it, not everyone does. We are few and small a group. An elite group who know of the wonders of our beloved Steak of Greenwich Village and Italian Greenwich Village at that.

Our beloved Newport Steak, those few of us who know about it, is a Greenwich Village Original created by an Italian Immigrant Butcher jack Ubaldi who created the now famous Newport Steak in the late 1940s when he had the idea of cutting the relatively unknown and inexpensive cut of beef known as the Bottom Sirloin in a different way and cut off a couple of Steaks from this piece of meat that was most often used as a roast in a larger piece or ground for Hamburgers, Meatloaf, or Meatballs. Today this cut of meat is normally known as Tri-Tip or Santa Maria Steak of Central California where it is grilled or roasted whole in one piece then sliced when serving. In France this cut is known as a Culotte which is popular in the Bistros of Paris and all over France.

So back to Jack Ubaldi who back in the 1940’s invented what is now known to those “In The Know” as a Newport Steak. Jack cut the a piece from the Bottom Sirloin that was about 1 1/2″ thick and had the shape of a Boomerang. When he saw a Newport Cigarette ad and noticed that his special cut of Steak looked like the Boomerang Logo of the Newport Cigarettes. Right then and there in his butcher shop on Jones Street in Greenwich Village, Jack named his special cut the Newport Steak. The rest is Culinary and Greenwich Village History, and Italian Greenwich Village History at that, as at that time Greenwich Village was heavily populated by Italians. The Village was filled with Bread Bakers like Zito’s(now defunct) around the block on Bleeeker Street, Zapieri’s, and Vesuvio as well as a host of other Bakeries, Italian Restaurants and Caffes like Caffe reggio and Caffe Dante, along with another fine Italian Butcher Shop in Pino’s Prime Meats on Sullivan Street, in business since 1904. Raffetto’s Pasta in Greenwich Village and Porto Rico Coffee are all over 100 Year Old Italian-American businesses as well.

So the Newport Steak. Created by Jack Obaldi, is cut from the Bottom Sirloin are about 1 1/2 inches thick, weigh about 14 ounces and cost about $7.50 a piece and are well worth it. Heck they’re a bargain compared to a Prime Sirloin which are about triple the price of a Newport. And the Newport is every bit as good as a regular New York Cut Sirloin. No quality loss what so ever. In fact, after getting on to Newport’s I prefer them to a Sirloin, as do the others in the know on the Newport.

WHERE To GET A NEWPORT STEAK

FLorence Meat Market “They Invented It” !!! … Jones Street, Greenwich Village, New York

Pino’s Prime Meats …. Sullivan Street, New York, NY

Ottomanelli’s Meat market …. Corner of Bleecker and Jones Streets, down the block from Florence … Greenwich Village, New York