A hundred years of Italian immigration in Northern California through personal experiences, values and culture brought from Italy to the American society, the reasons of Italian success in the U.S. and new opportunities for entrepreneurs in the Silicon Valley today; these were just a few topics debated at the event “Italian Waves of Innovation (1914-2014)” held at the historic Club Fugazi, Home of Beach Blanket Babylon, organized by BAIA (Business Association Italy America) and the Italian Community Services Agency, last February 4th.
The lively evening of networking and conversation about the heritage of Italian entrepreneurship in America then and now, was a great opportunity for the community to meet, look back at the achievements of past generations, and take inspiration for current success.
The informal roundtable was moderated by Paul Tonelli, KSAN radio host of “Lamont & Tonelli” and the stadium PA announcer at Candlestick Park, featuring special guests Donald Parachini (Leland, Parachini, Steinberg, Matzger & Melnick, LLP), Fabrizio Capobianco (CEO, TOK.tv) and San Francisco Food Columnist Marcia Gagliardi (Founder of Tablehopper.com).
The panel of distinguished entrepreneurs was introduced by a video on the history of Italian Community Services Agency, its founders and prominent personalities of the Italian-American community like A.P. Giannini, Marco Fontana, Andrea Sbarboro, and John F. Fugazi, from whom the Casa Coloniale Fugazi takes its name.
The first of the panelists, Donald Parachini, celebrates this year the “golden anniversary” as an attorney in the banking industry. He also advises businesses on financial and corporate matters.
“I started working at Bank of America in 1964 when there was still an Italian department”, he said. As a veteran of the Italian-American community, Donald is an expert of San Francisco history.
He also remembered how the second step for Italian immigrants to integrate in California was, after the gold mining business, the opening of a produce market with Italian food in North Beach.
The third and last one was instead the banking industry, “ following the genovese tradition”, he added.
How much did Italian culture shape American society? One of the most unmistakable signs is the huge culinary art that still represents a thriving industry today.
Thanks to her Calabrese heritage, second generation Italian-American Marcia Gagliardi has become a personality in the Bay Area’s food world.
A food writer since 2002 about the most delicious restaurant in San Francisco, Gagliardi is the founder of Tablehopper.com and author of “The Tablehopper’s Guide to Dining and Drinking in San Francisco: Find the Right Spot for Every Occasion”.
Even if tradition has always been a part of her life, all Marcia’s family members owned pizzerias in the Bay Area, it was only when she lived in Italy that she changed completely her perspective about food.
The base of knowledge about authentic cooking really helped her writing about food in the city. What makes her really different from many other blogs, is the focus on regional cuisine and wine.
“I know many of the Italian and Italian-American restaurateurs and I have experienced a deep loyalty inside the Italian community”, Marcia said.
Another important topic discussed at the roundtable was “What makes Italians successful in the U.S.”?
No one better than “serial entrepreneur” Fabrizio Capobianco could answer this question, as Founder and CEO of TOK.tv and President and Chairman of the company Funambol, the leading mobile open source company in the world, which he founded in 2003.
An Italian immigrant who came to California fourteen years ago, now an American citizen, Fabrizio started two start-ups in Silicon Valley always maintaining a professional connection with his homeland. “After working with many international teams I believe that the best engineers are in Italy. Doing software is creativity, and Italian design has always been excellent”, he said.
As a matter of fact, his most successful company Funambol, was created in California but involves a huge number of “brains” back in Italy.
As well as many Italians arriving today in the U.S., when he came following his wife who was going to Stanford, he needed to get a visa. This is still the main obstacle for many Europeans in order to have success in America.
On the other hand, the situation has totally changed compared to a hundred years ago. “Nowadays it’s hard to feel that you are too far away from your home country. Skype has changed everything in terms of communication, and technology is what brings most Italians to the Silicon Valley today”.
In conclusion, many thanks to Italian Community Services and BAIA’s event for discussing about how Italian-American values continue to foster success in American business, it is clear that tradition is still a huge part of the Italian heritage but also innovation is continuously shaping California’s most prominent industries of food, wine, technology and entertainment.
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