Robert Alegrinni, NIAF’s President
Little Italy Podcast & Little Italy of LA Podcast
Release Date: 05/31/2023
Bunny Hull, Grammy® Award Winning Songwriter and vocalist. Founder & Executive Director Dream A World Education
Little Italy Podcast & Little Italy of LA Podcast
Meet Bunny Hull. Bunny is a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter with 20 Gold and Platinum Certifications. She’s the recipient of the GMA Dove Award, BMI Performance Award, Parents’ Choice Awards, and that’s not even why we’re having her on our show today! Hull, who has also been inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame, joins us to talk about something truly dear to her heart, in addition to music. She founded Dream a World Education, whose mission is to provide social-emotional learning and an understanding of cultural diversity through art-based education in early childhood....
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Andrew Cotto, Award-Winning Novelist & Co-Founder, Appetito Magazine
Little Italy Podcast & Little Italy of LA Podcast
Please join us in welcoming Andrew Cotto, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Appetito Magazine. Andrew is also an award-winning novelist of seven books, a regular contributor to the New York Times, and he loves all things Italy, particularly food and wine. His passion is to write and talk about it, and share his experiences so we can fall in love with the Italian way of living as he has. Andrew likes to say that “food is his muse.” He draws a comparison between mental health and healthy eating, and talks about how Italians instinctively know how to do that. While he was raised in the...
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Bryan & Stephanie Mazzarello, Filmmaker, “Make Me Italian”
Little Italy Podcast & Little Italy of LA Podcast
Please welcome to our show, Bryan and Stephanie Mazzarello, creators of their brilliant short film, “Make Me Italian,” which follows the story of an Italian-American man attempting to prove his Italian citizenship through ancestry so he can attain an Italian passport. The story is loosely based on Bryan’s experience of getting his Italian passport, and it’s quite a story. We talk with Bryan about that, and also how he was motivated to do this after a backpacking trip through Europe landed on the very soil where his grandparents lived. Let’s just say he felt the calling. Stephanie was...
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Andria Litto, Filmmaker, “My Father Moves Mountains”
Little Italy Podcast & Little Italy of LA Podcast
Please welcome to our show the mega-talented writer, producer, and director Andria Litto, who joins us to discuss her magnificent documentary, “My Father Moves Mountains,” about her dad, George Litto, who represented many of Hollywood’s top writers who were black-listed during the McCarthy era and beyond. This is a fascinating film, with detailed interviews from actors, writers, and agents, with film footage of a time in Hollywood when studios could crush the careers of actors and writers, but George Litto wasn’t afraid of them. Instead, he fought for the rights of people he thought...
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Ann Potenza, Producer/Creator “The War of Roses” play, & Event Producer
Little Italy Podcast & Little Italy of LA Podcast
Please welcome to our show my dear friend, Ann Potenza, who is bringing an exceptional play to life in Los Angeles for the upcoming Women’s History Month, called “The War of Roses - The Women. The Voices. The Vote.” This is an important play that talks about the women suffragettes, and the play follows some of the most memorable names who were at the forefront to getting women out to vote. In fact, “The War Of Roses,” making its debut the El Portal Theatre in No.Hollywood on 3-1 and 3/2, is also encouraging all participants to Get Out The Vote (GOTV) that evening. Ann is also a...
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Raffaella Valentini, Consul General of Italy in Los Angeles
Little Italy Podcast & Little Italy of LA Podcast
We are pleased to welcome to our show, Raffaella Valentini, esteemed Consul General of Italy in Los Angeles. Raffaella has years of experience having worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, overseeing projects promoted by Italy in the Balkins, North Africa, and Middle East. She’s also worked at the Embassy’s economic office in Albania and Cairo before coming to Los Angeles. Raffaella has keen ideas on how she sees her position here, as it covers a large territory from California to Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada, and she wants to make sure to serve the various economic and cultural...
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Chef Bruno Serato, Anaheim White House Restaurant & Caterina’s Club
Little Italy Podcast & Little Italy of LA Podcast
It was an extraordinary day this week at Anaheim White House Restaurant, where Chef Bruno Serato opened his doors to raise money for his beloved Caterina’s Club so Bruno and his team can feed near 25,000 kids and families in need every month! That’s A LOT of Pasta! And we’ll find out just how much was raised at yesterday’s #PastaThon when we speak with him. Bruno has become a friend over the years, and many of us call him a saint. His generosity was inspired by his mom, Caterina, who gave him the inspiration to feed hungry children in nearby Anaheim. He took the challenge, and 13 years...
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Rick Caruso, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist
Little Italy Podcast & Little Italy of LA Podcast
Rick Caruso has become a household name, known as a mega-successful real-estate developer, philanthropist, and LA mayoral candidate, but I know him as the family man who has Sunday dinners with his family, no matter what’s going on. And he credits much of that to his strong Italian roots. Please join me in welcoming Rick to our show, where we’ll talk about some little-known facts about the man behind some of THE most successful retail shopping centers in the country. Did you know #TheGroveLA attracts more visitors each year than Disneyland? What’s his secret sauce? We’ll talk about...
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Cristina Ferrare, Supermodel, TV Host, Author, Cancer Survivor, Influencer.
Little Italy Podcast & Little Italy of LA Podcast
Please join me today as we welcome my beautiful friend, Cristina Ferrare - supermodel, New York Times best selling author, TV talk show host, chef, cancer survivor, mom, and much more. Cristina is of Italian descent, born to Renata and Tavio Ferrare, who was a butcher in Ohio. But they didn’t stay in Ohio long, because Cristina’s beauty was so blinding, she was signed by a top modeling agency in LA, and her career took off. She’s been on too many magazine covers to count, has been a spokesperson for Max Factor and other top brands, has written seven books and hit The NY Times best seller...
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Lorenzo Lisi & Celestino Drago - Made In Italy Expo
Little Italy Podcast & Little Italy of LA Podcast
Love Italian food, wine, fashion, accessories and more? Then you MUST listen to our show today, featuring Lorenzo Lisi, creator of the Nexxt - Made in Italy Expo, happening this week Oct. 19-22 at CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles. This is an extraordinary event featuring 120 of the finest vendors from Italy, there will be food tastings and more, and it’s FREE! Also joining us will be the legendary Celestino Drago, owner of Drago Centro, where he will presenting and evening of Italian elegance and fine dining to end the Expo and celebrate the Nexxt Foundation, which we will be discussing on...
info_outlinePlease give a warm welcome to Robert Allegrini, the distinguished president of the National Italian American Foundation, which does tremendous work preserving and highlighting the image and legacy of Italian Americans (for which I am one). Robert joins our #LittleItalyPodcast and #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast to discuss NIAF’s mission for the Italian-American Community throughout the U.S. and beyond, and it’s very forward-thinking and exciting.
As Robert describes, one of the main goals of NIAF is to strengthen ties between the United States and Italy by reflecting positive images of Italians in business, film, politics, and more. NIAF also provides grants and scholarships, travel opportunities to Italy particularly to first-time visitors, called Voyage of Discovery, there’s a NIAF museum, GALA events to raise money for education and cultural initiatives. And Robert is here to tell us the vision of NIAF moving forward in a changing world, but the one constant remains preserving our cultural heritage and encouraging the next generation of Italians to carry the torch.
NIAF does so much, and I hope you’ll join me in welcoming Robert so he can tell you all about it. As an aside, Robert has enjoyed an incredible career in public relations and marketing with some of the top hotel brands in the world (Waldorf Astoria for one), he’s an author, and let’s just say this isn’t his first time with NIAF. He’s been a champion for so long, it’s only fitting he’s now President🇮🇹
Please join our full interview LIVE on all video and audio platforms of our #LittleItaly Podcasts, also simulcast on #DeborahKobyltLIVE. I’m your host, creator, and beyond-proud Italian American, #DeborahZaraKobylt. Thanks for tuning in, and please invite your friends as well❤️💚