Los Angeles's Little Italy presents a history of the city's vibrant Italian enclave during the 100-year period following the arrival of the city's first Italian pioneer in 1827. While Los Angeles possesses the nation's fifth-largest Italian population today, little is known about its Italian history, which has been examined by only a handful of historians over the past 50 years. Much of historic Little Italy has been erased from the map or is masked by subsequent ethnic settlements. However, the community's memory lives on. From pioneer agriculturalists and winemakers to philanthropists and eccentric personalities, Italian Americans left a lasting impression on the city's social, economic, and cultural fabric and contributed to Los Angeles's development as one of the world's greatest metropolises.

Over 568,000 Italian Americans live in the Greater Los Angeles area--95,000 within the city itself making the Italian American population in Los Angeles the fourth largest in the United States. Unlike many other American cities with a nuclear "Little Italy," the Italian American community of Los Angeles has extended in all directions, gracing the entire region with its rich gifts and talents in art, architecture, banking, engineering, literature, cuisine, winemaking, and film. Italian men and women of knowledge, courage, and insight have embraced these industries to make life better for future generations. This book provides a glimpse into the Italian heritage that lies at the heart and soul of Los Angeles. To honor each individual contribution would require many volumes; the people and businesses profiled in this book are representations of the vast Italian community that is woven into the tapestry of Los Angeles.

Looks at the history of Italian cooking and culture in the United States, providing profiles of restaurants and recipes for a variety of dishes.

This debut cookbook from L.A.'s phenomenally popular Bestia restaurant features rustic Italian food that is driven by intense flavors, including house-made charcuterie, pizza and pasta from scratch, and innovative desserts inspired by home-baked classics. IACP AWARD FINALIST Since opening in downtown Los Angeles in 2012, Bestia has captivated diners with its bold, satisfying, and flavor-forward food served in a festive, communal atmosphere. Now, in this accessible and immersive debut cookbook, all of the incredible dishes that have made Bestia one of the most talked-about restaurants in the country are on full display. Rooted in the flavors and techniques of Italian regional cooking, these recipes include inventive hits like fennel-crusted pork chops; meatballs with ricotta, tomato, greens, and preserved lemon; and agnolotti made with cacao pasta dough. Irresistible desserts such as apple cider donuts and a chocolate budino tart, from co-owner and pastry chef Genevieve Gergis, end the concert of flavors on a high note. With chapters on making bread, pasta, and charcuterie; sections on stocks and sauces; and new ideas for getting the most from your cooking by layering flavors, Bestia delivers a distinctively innovative approach to Italian-inspired cooking.

"When the first Italian moved to the area near Catherine Street around 1798, it was mostly forest and filed. It was considered Irishtown by the early residents. By 1852, an Italian church had been established for the community, and from the advent of mass migration beginning in 1876 grew Philadelphia's Little Italy. The original neighborhood was bound by the area from Sixth Street to Eleventh Street and Bainbridge to Federal Streets. Many of the early families-Baldi, Pinto, and Fiorella-established businesses in the area that continue today." -- From cover.

As a protagonist, Angelina Carpello views life from her stoop on Conselyea Street in Williamsburg Brooklyn (1950-60-70s), elements of Mob mentality, Catholic Church, and Old World Italian culture mold her into a young woman with more questions than answers about her survival. When a Chinese farm boy, Wengchan Liang, now grown and a runner/hitman for the Italian Mafia, meets her, their collision course not only rescues her from her life-threatening, contentious situation but also discovers for him a long sought redemption.