rita cipalla

Cousins have often played complementary roles throughout history. Take Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, fifth cousins, who became president of the United States two decades apart. Or Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, on the throne of England. As great-great-grandchildren …

Giuseppe “Joe” Desimone was a bear of a man, 6 foot 2 inches tall, 300 pounds. He arrived in America in 1897 from Naples at the age of 18 with 50 cents in his pocket. He worked first as a …

A century ago in Black Diamond, Wash., the freight trains arrived empty twice a day and twice a day they left, loaded with coal. Railroad assistant Amos Ungherini would go down the line each day in a hand-pumped “speeder” to …

Never let it be said that Joe Fugere, owner of Seattle’s Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria, won’t move heaven and earth, or even a pizza oven, to create delicious, perfectly baked pizza for a customer, particularly when that customer is Barak …

Ingredients are like musical notes, says cookbook author Letizia Mattiacci, and cooking is like composing music. The results, when done well, are pure harmony. Recently, Seattle audiences explored the unique culinary harmonies of Umbria with Mattiacci as their guide. Mattiacci, …

From a 1926 Model T to an ice-blue 1951 Studebaker to the Flintmobile made for the 1994 Flintstones movie, all sorts of automotive rarities can be found at the LeMay-America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Wash. The collection of 255 vehicles …

If you are a coffee aficionado, you’ve heard of La Marzocco. A hands-down favorite among baristas, these high-end espresso machines can be found in cafés and restaurants worldwide. The venerable company, founded in Florence in 1927 by Giuseppe and Bruno …

The airy, light-filled tasting room at the Northwest Wine Academy would feel right at home in any of Seattle’s swankier neighborhoods. Designed with a distinctly northwest aesthetic, the walls are partially lined with beautiful reclaimed redwood and the tasting counter …

Since 1963, Lamborghini automobiles have topped the list when it comes to ultralight, ultrafast, ultracool sports cars. In 2007, to conduct research in carbon fiber materials, the luxury car company opened an innovative lab on the campus of the University …

The list of honorees reads like a who’s who among Seattle’s culinary elite: Armandino Batali of Salumi; food marketer Jon Rowley; Frank Isernio, founder of Isernio’s Sausage; restaurateur Tom Douglas and his wife Jackie Cross; and most recently, Charles and …