Lou Malnati’s is Headed to Phoenix!
More Chicago Italian Tid Bits
Italians began trickling into Chicago in small numbers in the 1850s, working largely as merchants, vendors, barbers, and other artisans. By 1880, there were 1,357 Italians in the city. Successful as saloonkeepers and restaurateurs, some invested in real estate and became wealthy. These early arrivals were predominantly from Liguria, with a sprinkling from other regions; among them were veterans of the Risorgimento, the movement for national unification of Italy. Imbued with patriotism for the newly unified Italy, they sponsored nationalist observances, including Chicago's first Columbus Day parade in 1868. In 1866, they organized a mutual benefit society, Società di Unione e Fratellanza, and published a newspaper, L'Unione Italiana (1867–69).
In the late nineteenth century, mass migration from Italy accelerated. Chicago's foreign-born Italian population, 16,008 in 1900, peaked at 73,960 in 1930. These newcomers were predominantly peasants (contadini) from the southern regions, particularly Basilicata, Campania, and Sicily. Drawn to Chicago's market for railroad workers, these laborers were enrolled in work gangs by padrones (labor contractors), who shipped them to construction sites throughout the country. As they gained stable employment in the city's public works and industries, women were sent for and families established. Many women worked in the sweatshops and factories of the garment industry.
Strongly attached to their places of origin (campanilismo), paesani (townsmen) clustered in tenements, formed mutual aid societies named after patron saints, and maintained exclusive networks. Although the largest concentration of Italians by far was on the Near West Side, there were some 20 settlements scattered about the city and its suburbs. The older immigrant Germans, Irish, and Scandinavians resisted these intrusions, but gradually gave way. For many years Italians encountered deep prejudice and discrimination in housing and employment. The Chicago press stereotyped them as violent criminals, paupers, and wage-cutters.
A growing middle class, composed of merchants, padrones, and professionals, sought to uplift their countrymen with patriotic exhortations and nationalistic celebrations. Italian newspapers proliferated that reflected the interests of the so-called prominenti (big shots), but only L'Italia, established in 1886, survived far into the twentieth century. Unity, however, evaded the Italians, who were divided by personal jealousies and regional antagonisms. By 1912, there were some four hundred competing societies, usually composed of paesani. Meanwhile, anarchists and Socialists sought—with sporadic success—to organize the immigrants along class lines. The Italian Socialist Federation with its organ, La Parola dei Socialisti (established 1908), was based in Chicago, but its adherents were a minority.
Although nominally Roman Catholic, Italian immigrants generally were not devoted to the institutional church. The first Italian parish, the Church of the Assumption on the Near North Side, was established in 1881. By 1920, there were 18 Italian national parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Priests, however, often encountered indifference and anticlericalism among the immigrants. Papal opposition to Italian unification engendered strong anti-Vatican sentiments among nationalists, while radicals rejected all religious ideas. Protestant denominations proselytized among Italians, but most contadini remained attached to the religious traditions of their paesi, above all to the patron saints whom they celebrated in elaborate feste. Italian women were especially devoted to maintaining traditional forms of piety. With time and understanding pastors, the parishes became important centers for community activities.
World War I marked a turning point in the history of Chicago Italians. The war, followed by restrictive legislation, cut off further immigration, thus stabilizing the foreign-born population. Because of labor shortages, Italians gained entry into factory jobs and other occupations. Paradoxically, wartime emotions inspired an increased sense of both Italian nationalism and American patriotism. Intensified anti-Italian prejudice and discrimination also caused a heightened ethnic consciousness. Fraternal orders such as the Sons of Italy in America now organized immigrants and their children on the basis of nationality. This growing ethnic identification coincided with the rise of Fascism in Italy in the 1920s, inclining most Chicago Italians—with the exception of a small but vigorous anti-Fascist element—to support Mussolini. The arrival of a squadron of Italian seaplanes led by the Fascist Italo Balbo in 1933 marked a high point of that enthusiasm.
Italian Americans remained largely blue-collar workers until well after World War II. But wages rose in the 1920s for factory workers, construction tradesmen, and truck drivers. Families were able to purchase houses, furnishings, and even automobiles. Chicago's Italians gradually began to move westward toward the suburbs. With the Great Depression of the 1930s, however, many Italians, along with others, lost homes and businesses and suffered long periods of unemployment.
Italian women and men constituted a substantial segment of the labor force in the clothing and garment industry and helped found the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America. The International Hod Carriers and Building Laborers' Union of America, controlled by labor racketeers for much of its history, also had a large Italian membership in Chicago. Across a variety of industries in the 1930s, Italians engaged in labor struggles as members of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).
Reflecting their modest political clout, no Italian has won election as mayor of Chicago. Introduced to Chicago-style machine politics by Irish bosses such as Johnny Powers of the Nineteenth Ward, Italians initially traded their votes for jobs and other patronage. In the 1930s, the “Italian vote,” which had fluctuated between the two parties, became solidly Democratic in support of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal. Since the 1950s, with rising economic levels, Italian Americans have increasingly abandoned their dedication to labor and the Democratic Party.
Although only a minority of Italians graduated from high school and very few from college until well after World War II, many rose to the middle class through business ventures in construction and commerce, particularly food and liquor merchandising. Prohibition in the twenties proved to be a bonanza for Italians who engaged in bootlegging. While Al Capone (born in Brooklyn) epitomized Chicago's big-time gangster, many families invested profits from the trade in booze to launch legitimate enterprises.
Capone became an albatross around the necks of Chicago Italians seeking respectability. The stereotype of the criminal and violent Italian was well established by the late nineteenth century. Numerous crimes attributed to the Mafia and Mano Nera (Black Hand) further reinforced the stereotype. However, it was the racketeering and mob wars of the twenties, perpetuated by innumerable movie and television versions, which made Chicago, crime, and Italians synonymous in the minds of many.
If Italian Americans sympathized with the Mussolini regime, events following Pearl Harbor demonstrated that their first loyalty was to the United States. Tens of thousands of men and women left to serve in the armed forces or work in defense industries. After the war, the educational and home mortgage benefits of the GI Bill facilitated their occupational and spatial mobility. Movement to the western suburbs was accelerated by urban renewal projects that demolished Italian neighborhoods to make way for public housing, highways, and the Chicago campus of the University of Illinois. While vestiges of old neighborhoods remained, by 1970 the majority of Chicago's Italians lived in suburbs such as Cicero, Berwyn, and Oak Park.
A few Italian inner-city parishes remain, but most were either dissolved or turned over to incoming groups. Religious and ethnic institutions administered by the Scalabrini Fathers, a missionary order for the Italian immigrants, became centered in the western suburbs: the Sacred Heart Seminary, the Villa Scalabrini Home for the Aged, and the Italian Cultural Center. Rather than the face-to-face contacts of old neighborhoods, Italian radio and television programs and a newspaper, Fra Noi, published since 1960, enable communication among far-flung audiences.
Although unity remained elusive, the Italian Welfare Council (established in 1945) addressed the educational, recreational, and social needs of Chicago's Italians. In 1952, the Council was succeeded by the Italian American Civic Committee, which as an umbrella organization sought to advance the interests of the ethnic group. Since 1952, it has sponsored the annual Columbus Day parade, combated defamation, and promoted Italians in business and public life. The persistence of associational activities is indicated by the estimated 150 Italian organizations with diverse professional, cultural, and political agendas. That the roots of Italian ethnicity in Chicago remain deeply buried in the soil of the paesi is demonstrated by the survival and revival of the religious festivals, which take place throughout the summer months.
Chicago Pizza History !
The pizza's foundation is simple. It uses a thick layer of dough (made with olive oil and cornmeal) that is formed to a deep round pan and pulled up the sides. The pizza crust is then parbaked before the toppings are added to give it greater spring.
Parbaking is a cooking technique in which a bread or dough product is partially baked and then rapidly frozen or cooled. The raw dough is baked as if normal, but halted at about 80% of the normal cooking time, when it is rapidly cooled and frozen. The partial cooking kills the yeast in the bread mixture, and sets the internal structure of the proteins and starches (the spongy texture of the bread), so that it is now essentially cooked inside, but not so far as to have generated "crust" or other externally desirable qualities that are difficult to preserve once fully cooked.
The crust is then covered with cheese (generally sliced mozzarella) and covered with meats and/or vegetables such as Italian sausage, onions, and bell peppers. A sauce consisting of crushed or pureed tomatoes is then added. Usually this is topped with a grated cheese blend to add additional flavor. On the usual pizza, about a pound of cheese is added. Because of the amount of ingredients in this style of pizza, it is usually eaten with a knife and fork. It's quite messy to eat with your fingers.
In addition to Uno, additional famous deep-dish restaurants include Uno's companion restaurant Due, which was opened just down the block by Sewell in 1955. However, a year before, in 1954, The Original Gino's Pizza, located on Rush Street, opened its doors, and 12 years later in 1966, Gino's East opened. Other deep dish restaurants include Edwardo's, Connie's, Giordano's, Carmen's, Pizano's (which is owned by Rudy Malnati's son, Rudy Jr.), and Lou Malnati's (which was begun by another of Rudy Malnati's sons and is now run by his grandsons and has 26 Chicago area locations).
Chicago deep-dish pizza is famous throughout the world. Accordingly, many Chicago deep-dish pizza restaurants will ship their pizzas, partially baked, within the continental U.S.
In the mid-1970s, two Chicago chains, Nancy's, founded by Rocco Palese, and Giordano's began experimenting with deep dish pizza and created the stuffed pizza. Palese based his creation on his mother's recipe for scarciedda, an Italian Easter pie from his hometown of Potenza. A Chicago Magazine article featuring Giordano's stuffed pizza popularized the dish. Other pizzerias that make stuffed pizzas include Bacino's, Edwardo's and Carmen's. Most also make thin crust pizzas.
Stuffed pizzas are often even taller than deep-dish pizzas, but otherwise, it can be hard to see the difference until you cut into it. A stuffed pizza generally has much higher topping density than any other type of pizza. As with deep-dish pizza, a thin layer of dough forms a bowl in a high-sided pan and the toppings and cheese are added. Then, an additional layer of dough goes on top and is pressed to the sides of the bottom crust.
At this stage of the process, the thin dough top has a rounded, domed appearance. Pizza makers often puncture a small hole in the top of the "pizza lid" to allow air and steam to escape while cooking. This allows the pizza sauce to permeate through the pie. Pizza sauce is added to the top crust layer and the pizza is then baked.
Chicago pan pizza in Chicago is similar to the traditional deep-dish style pizza served in other areas of the country, and baked in a similar deep-sided pan, but its crust is quite thick -- a cross between the buttery crisp crust and focaccia. Toppings and cheese frequently go on the top of a pan pizza, rather than under the sauce as is traditionally the case with deep-dish and stuffed pizza. The placement of the cheese and toppings on top make the pan pizza variety similar to a thin-crust pizza with a thicker and larger crust.
In addition to Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, there is also a thin-crust pizza unique to Chicago, sometimes referred to as "flat pizza". The crust is thin and firm, usually with a crunchy texture, unlike a New York-style pizza, yet thick enough to be soft and doughy on the top.
Chicago style pizza has a rich and famous heritage and admirers from all over the world. If you're a pizza lover and you've never tried this type of pizza, be sure to give it a try, I'm absolutely convinced that you will love it!
Obediant Italian Wife....lol
There was an Italian immigrant man who had worked all his life, had saved all of his money, and was a real "miser" when it came to his money.
Just before he died, he said to his Italian wife..."When I die, I want you to take all my money and put it in the casket with me. I want to take my money to the after life with me."
And so he got his wife to promise him, with all of her heart, that when he died, she would put all of the money into the casket with him.
Well, he died. He was stretched out in the casket, his wife was sitting there - dressed in black, (what else), and her best friend was sitting next to her.
When they finished the ceremony, and just before the undertaker got ready to close the casket, the wife said, "Wait just a moment!"
She had a small metal box with her; she came overwith the box and put it in the casket.
Then the undertaker locked the casket down and they rolled it away. So her friend said, "Girl, I know you were not fool enough to put all that money in there with your husband."
The loyal wife replied, "Listen, I'm an Italian Catholic & I cannot go back on my word. I promised him that I was going to put that money in the casket with him.."
You mean to tell me you put that money in the casket with him??"
"I sure did," said the wife. "I got it all together, put it into my account, I wrote him a check.... If he can cash it, then he can spend it." AMEN!
CIAO TUTTI
IN MEMORY
IN MEMORY OF DAWN MARIE SANSONE
My Oldest Daughter Dawn Marie was was taken from us by a hit and run driver at the age of 23,
The world or my heart has never been the same!!
Today Please light a candle to remember that Wonderful smile and to keep her memory alive !!
Please say her name today, She will never be forgotten !
*****************************************************************
ON YOUR ANGELVERSARY
It's been so long since we saw you last...
It makes it so hard to think back to the past.
The family is not the same since you went away
We were lost, sad and helpless on that angel day.
Even after this length of time has gone by...
It still brings me to tears and I start to cry.
Oh what would you look like, where would you be...
If you were still here for all of us to see.
I think of you always, and I hope that you know...
Life here without you I never wanted to know
I know your an angel with halo and wings...
With family and friends, and know many things.
There's one thing that I want you to know today..
I will always love you, miss you and wish you could have stayed.
Love Dad
Frannies Beef...Schiller Park Illinois
BEST BEEF SANDWICH IN CHICAGO !!!
Well every once in a while we have the rare opportunity to find a place that not only has Killer Chicago Hot Dogs, But Beef sandwiches to die for. Now being a long time patron of almost all Hot dog and Beef Joints, I have grown up on Johnnies Beef and later on Portillo's, Als Etc.Yea I know they have killer beefs BUT by far there is no better Italian Beef than FRANNIES BEEF anywhere. PERIOD... Now that I live in Arizona every chance I get to go home to Chicago for a visit, 1st stop Frannies !! Takes away all the craving for those fixes I miss Instantly, This great place Also has Chicago Hot Dogs 2nd to none.Now do we start with the MeatBall sandwiches or Sausage that any of us Italians know is the real deal, When I see some of these Morons talk about meatball from Subway I wanna crack em..These meatball or Sausage are what we grew up on Ya know like Grandma used to make, After the decision on what to eat the rest is easy.!! Finnish off this delight of a meal with there Fresh Homemade "Every Day" Italian Lemonade!! If only they had a room to rent, I would move in tomorrow,Sooo if you haven't been here its TIME because the best has obviously been saved to last for you.....On a scale of 1-10 I say 11.... Enjoy this is a place you will return often if not Daily.
Now if Catering is on your mind what haven't you payed attention to in this article. Lol They have you covered. And Im Talkin To You.........
Frannies Beef and Catering
4304 River Road
Schiller Park, IL
847-678-7771
CHICAGO
The Wellington / 2121 S. Arlington Heights Rd. Arlington Heights, IL. (1983-2012)
Pooch's / Palos Heights, IL.
Don Roth's Blackhawk Restaurant / Chicago & Wheeling IL. (1920-2009)
Club El Bianco / 2747 W. 63rd St. Chicago, IL.
Jimmy's Place / 640 W. Northwest Hwy. Arlington Heights, IL. (1959-2011)
Henrici's / 67 W. Randolph St. Chicago, IL. (1868-1962)
Toot's Drive Thru / Chicago, IL. (1951-2006)
Hob Nob / 10 Northwest Hwy. Palatine & 4419 Northwest Hwy. & Crystal Lake, IL.
Mayflower Doughnuts / Chicago, IL. (1931-1970)
The Golden Ox / 1578-80 N. Clybourne Chicago, IL. (1921-199?)
Pixley And Ehlers Restaurants / Multiple Chicagoland area locations
Ivanhoe / 3000 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL.