rita cipalla

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 …

In an industrial area just south of downtown Seattle, under the shadow of CenturyLink Field and down the street from several auto repair shops, sits a small nondescript brick building whose no-frills exterior belies its interior hidden treasures.  Known as …

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 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 …

The smell of freshly baked bread is arguably one of the world’s most sublime aromas. A British study last year found that the smell of baking bread topped the list of all-time favorite scents, beating out sizzling bacon, freshly mowed …

The love of words has fueled much of Terry Tazioli’s 40-year career. He’s been a print reporter, newspaper editor, television producer and news assignment editor. He’s also co-author of a New York Times bestseller, “Volcano: The Eruption of Mount St. …

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 …

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 …

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 …