The New Jersey Italian Heritage Commission hosted its annual conference on April 20th, 2024, at Rutgers University. The event, titled "Increasing Awareness of Italian Heritage through Film," was a resounding success, drawing notable educators and other guests from across the state of New Jersey and fostering engaging conversations among attendees. Commissioner Vice Chair Vito Maione, Commissioner Vice Chair Barbara T. Lazzarro, Chairwoman Emerita Cav. Gilda Rorro Baldassari, Ed.D,  Professor Andrea Baldi, PhD., Commissioner Eileen Poiani, Ph.D., Commissioner Dame Josephine Marchett ..read more

 I'm incredibly proud to announce I've accepted the role of Executive Director for the New Jersey Italian Heritage Commission. I'm looking forward to this exciting chapter with an outstanding organization. Please read the full press release below.  Trenton – March 18, 2024 - The New Jersey Italian Heritage Commission proudly announces the appointment of Margaret Fontana as its new Executive Director. With an extensive career spanning diverse sectors in media, nonprofit, healthcare, education and entertainment, Fontana brings a wealth of experience and a passion for cultu ..read more

 It was an honor to speak to Bob Sorrentino of the Italian Roots and Genealogy podcast show. We had a great conversation all about being Italian American and how each generation of Italian Americans have their own unique stories to tell.  Grazie Bob!  ..read more

  Join us on May 20, 2024 for the Second Annual Ashley Lauren Foundation’s Chefs Who Care premiere tasting event. Celebrate top chefs from Manhattan and New Jersey at the illustrious Essex and Sussex in Spring Lake while enjoying premium wine and spirits, live entertainment, special guests and an extraordinary silent auction. This premiere gathering of renowned chefs aims to raise funds and awareness for The Ashley Lauren Foundation which provides much needed hope, help and support for children with cancer and their families throughout the State of New Jersey.   Tickets will be ..read more

Another year its now 15 years from when I started the Italian American Girl web site.   Facebook was just starting, Twitter just launched and no Instagram then, my site took off so quickly just because of our tight knit Italian American community.  The support I received from my fellow Italian American friends from all over the country and in different parts of the world was amazing.  Till this day, we still have the same connections, its pretty amazing.  Being Italian American is definitely a very unique experience, I had the best of both worlds, growing up Italian ..read more

 First tomato salad from the garden. I added a chopped zucchini, tomatoes, red onion, basil, olive oil and a pinch of salt. Delicious and healthy ..read more

 Italian Meatball Recipe: 1 1/2 cup of bread crumbs ( this can be home made from toasted Italian bread or store bought)  1 pound of ground meat, (you can substitute any meat, we prefer Turkey 100% lean.) 4 oz. grated cheese Pecorino and Parmigiana 2 Tsp of salt 1 Tsp of pepper 2 Eggs  10 leafs chopped parsley  2 cloves of garlic  1 or 1/2 cup of water - depending on the quality of your bread crumbs.  Mix all together, form balls (secret to keeping them nice and together, drip some warm water onto your palm of your hands as your rolling the balls.)  Then ..read more

Well, it's time for a new post and I wanted to share an amazing baked bread that my brother Santo made, its a black olive bread, Italian style.  I believe many Italians make this in many variations as we like to experiment and also be simple with our staple dinner element.   My brother has since baked a few loaves since this original loaf pictured here, I believe he wanted to perfect it and it almost seemed to get better each time he baked it.   Now, once he made it, we had a chance to warm up the bread and enjoy with it with extra virgin olive oil and red pepper fl ..read more

A little trip down memory lane and retelling the story of why @italianamericangirl is a brand. I started the Italian American Girl blog back in 2008 when social media just came out and blogging was the trend then along with the new sites Twitter and Youtube. I was searching for a way to stay connected to my first generation Italian American friends and acquaintances so we could share stories of upbringing, family and culture.  Here we are over 14 years later and now the Italian American community has grown online so much due to platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Also, no one was ca ..read more

  So, you're probably asking right about now, why am I writing about curly hair? Just this week alone my blogs have been about politics and serious topics...well today I want to talk about curly hair. I get tons of emails all the time about yes, my hair. I have to say, I am very lucky to have super curly hair that's somewhat manageable. There was a time when I didn't know how to style it and always felt like odd girl out..while all my friends had their gorgeous straight hair. Growing up with curly, frizzy hair always made me feel like a bit of an outcast. During middle school, teasing ..read more