Alecia Dantico is an award-winning marketing leader who builds high-performing programs and campaigns grounded in integrated communications strategy and storytelling. With a focus on delivering quantifiable business value, she rolls up her sleeves to help execute the programs she leads. She offers extensive communications strategy experience, earned across global, national, and start-up clients, and she specializes in connecting experiences across channels to launch brands, build reputation, and drive awareness and engagement. An integrated marketer at heart, Alecia is equally comfortable in the earned, paid, social, and owned media channels and her activation plans link online and offline experiences in ecosystems to bring target audiences from awareness through to engagement, conversion, and loyalty.

Ms. Dantico has designed and implemented campaigns for multi-national corporations, advertising agencies, brand clients, and start-ups for industries including pharmaceuticals (HCP, patient, advocacy), biotech, health/wellness, travel, financial services (banking, brokerage, insurance), technology, and consumer packaged goods (CPG food, beauty, tobacco, alcohol, and spirits). She is well-versed in the legal-compliance requirements of regulated industries, and she specializes in growing peer-driven social communities and experiences.

Ms. Dantico earned a bachelor’s degree, cum laude, in French literature from Carleton College, a Master of Arts degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a second Master’s of Arts degree in English and Gender and Women’s Studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
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Welcome to our latest CIAP newsletter.  I recently caught up with my very good friend Warner DeJulio and asked him to share a little bit about his interest in wine making.  Here are some questions and answers from our conversation.  By the way, we are featuring his winemaking this coming Saturday night at a wine tasting event.  Hope you can make it!
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What made you get interested in wine making? 

One day an Italian friend of mine in the neighborhood asked if I wanted to come make wine with him. That first year we went through the whole process the old fashioned way! We had about 30 bottles each to share with our friends and family. When I told my dad about it he told me that he used to make wine with his dad. After seeing the happiness and joy that sharing wine and its process with each other, I was hooked!

Tell me a little bit about the history of your wine making? 

I started making wine with a Sicilian friend mine named Gianluca DiMaggio around 2011. We started out in his garage and basement the old fashioned way. After that first vintage and seeing people enjoy what we’ve created I was hooked. The next year I made wine again. My friends brother Franco wanted to start serving the wine to his customers in his small Italian restaurant. This is where I began investigating how to do this legally! I started visiting wineries in southern Michigan to learn more.

On one of the trips I met a student of an Enology program offered online made up of professors and winemakers from some of the best Enology programs and Wineries in the country. I quickly signed up and started taking classes to start getting “serious” about winemaking! Good wine grapes are expensive so I went to school! I started to dive into a world of craft winemaking with some great mentors who have guided me along the way. The winemaking process is both technical and artisanal. Finding the right balance is art. Finding this balance and the desire to share the experience with others is what drove us to continue making wine today!

What kinds of wine do you make?

Currently we make unique red and rosé blends primarily from grape varietals including Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. We plan on expanding into select white varietals. 

What are your favorite types of wines and why?

Personally I enjoy Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Carmenere based reds. Some may say that I enjoy more oak than most but like with everything in winemaking , “it depends”! I like to drink whites and roses just the same according to my mood. Being 1/2 Greek we love to drink our Rosé! With that said I still enjoy trying new wines and styles especially if they are unique weather by winemaking style or blend.

What makes Italian wines some of the best in the world? 

Italian wines come from some of the oldest vineyards in the world. The soil and environment ( "terroir” ) is very unique in different parts of the country. Italy has many different types of growing regions attributing to a multitude of different flavor compounds and complexities because of its different terrain. The cooler northern climate of northern Italy vs the warmer coastal parts of southern regions of Italy is an example. 

What types of wines will we be tasting at the upcoming wine tasting event?

We will be tasting some of the 2015 red blends that we used to create our 2016 wines. These pre-production batches were our original “canvas” to determine what we made in. 2016!

What have you learned over the years by making wine?

Patience and that life is a learning process. Learn to be humble and the wine will follow you. I owe everything I’ve learned to the others that wanted to share. Again, I believe wine is all about sharing on many different levels.

What do envision as your future in wine making? 

My future will be about helping others. Wine is a vehicle for sharing a smile, conversation, love, happiness, feelings and emotions. I hope that this project will help others come back to sharing life experiences one on one with each other. With that said I hope to share these experiences with whomever wants to learn. We always need help around the cellar and are eager to teach!  

The 20th CIAP event was a smashing success.  The idea was the brainchild of Mike Benedetto who first learned about the Chicagoland Italian American Professionals at the 17th event which was all about Sicily.  Soon after the event which was held on September 22, 2016 at Casa Italia, Mike approached me with his idea on having a cuccidati fest.  I thought it was such a great idea and we quickly move forward with the idea. 

Mike quite frankly did most of the work as he contacted all the internet bakery contestants and also the local Italian bakeries.  

In the end, it was incredibly well attended and Fra Noi is going to publish an article about the event which highlighted the different styles of the participants.  

So who won the awards?  Here are the results:

Many thanks to all those who volunteered and make the event such a success and to all the cuccidati participants!  Stay tuned for the next Fra Noi edition and look out for the article about this wonderful event.

As some of you may know, I started the CIAP organization and we had our first event on one of the COLDEST nights of the WINTER VORTEX back on January 2014.  The first event was held at La Luce on Lake and Ogden.  Since then, the organization has grown tremendously.  

We how have a dedicated board of directors, Facebook Page, Facebook Group with over 1,000 members, a website with hundreds of visitors a week, a LinkedIn group, an Instagram Page and we are about to file for a 501c6 not for profit status with the State of IL.   We are also going to announce membership options at the upcoming event in November.  This is a great lead in to our upcoming events for the remainder of 2016.

October Event - October 24th @ Virgin Hotel Chicago
Our next event is our 18th event and it is this coming Monday, October 24th at the Virgin Hotel at 6pm.  The event is titled "Business Networking Italian Style".  We will feature 2 of the most successful female entrepreneur speakers in Chicago, Megan Wessels and Gina Altieri. Tickets are available through our website at www.chicagolanditalians.com

November Event - Tre Soldi Chicago
We also have events setup for November and December.  The November event is at Tre Soldi on Ohio on the 16th at 6pm.  This event will highlight food and an Italian language school from Molise, Italy.  The guest speaker is Jenifer Landor who is the executive director of "Live and Learn Italian" which is located in the town of Agnone within the region of Molise.  Stay tuned for more details....

December Event - Italian Xmas Cookies at Casa Italia
The Chicagoland Italian American Professionals organization (www.chicagolanditalians.com) is proud to present the first, annual “CuccidatiFest”, La Festa Dei Cuccidati, at the Casa Italia “Chandelier Room”, 3800 Division, Stone Park, on Saturday, December 17, 2016 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.

The presentation will include cash prizes of up to $100 for “the best tasting” cuccidati,  the “best decorated”  cuccidati , the best local bakery-made cuccidati and the best cuccidati from the Internet.
There will also be  a baking demonstration of this traditional Sicilian Christmas fig cookie,  as well as its history and origins.

​The event is intended to recognize individuals who have  preserved the tradition of making the cuccidati as well as highlighting local bakeries that still produce it.
All proceeds from the event will be donated to Casa Italia.
For further information call Michele Antonio at (630)849-6005.

Buongiorno amici!  My name is Salvatore and I am the executive director of the Chicagoland Italian American Professionals.  If you haven't already signed up for tonight's event, I am now going to give you 10 outstanding reasons to drop everything and attend tonight's event. Tonight's event is very exciting for me probably because my parents are from a small town near Palermo, Sicily.  So hear are 10 really wonderful reasons to attend tonight's event at Casa Italia in Stone Park.

Welcome to the second edition of Q&A with Salvatore, the executive director, of the Chicagoland Italian American Professionals.  In the Q&A's, Salvatore will interview business and community leaders around the Chicagoland area as well as people around the world that are experts in their chosen professions.  
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In this second edition, Salvatore interviews Tony Barbanente, executive chef and owner of Via Veneto and learns about what makes his restaurant formula so successful.

1. There are so many Italian restaurants in Chicago.  What is unique and special about Via Veneto?  I am chef owner from Italy. This is a family restaurant. We cater + serve people like they are part of us. Family. Plus we use ingredients + touch of real Italian cooking because I lived in Italy cooking with mom and family members truly Italian cooking.
 
2. How did you get into the restaurant business?  I was born in Italy cleaning potatoes at age of 4 years old in my uncle resort restaurant Adriatic Coast (Marechiaro – clear sea). Then came to this country at age of 12 years old. Worked in restaurants bus boy, then kitchen. Went to school, college (as they say, when you are in restaurant business you cannot leave this business, its in your blood). So we family members open restaurant in Suburbs, then went on my own of age 18 years old.
 
3. What are your specialties?  What entrees are your favorite?  Specialties (Best Fried Calamari, Grilled Octopus/Chilean Sea Bass, Homemade Gnocchi, lots homemade pasta)

4. Tell us about the importance of quality and freshness of ingredients in your preparation of the food entrees.  Quality + Freshness  We use freshest ingredients as seasonal ingredients. When we cook, we don’t add any food filler. Just, freshest ingredients, Oil, garlic, onions, basil. You taste the food, not overwhelming with sauces. And you will taste the actual food.

5. You have many other family members in the restaurant business.  Is this just coincidence or did you all love to cook at an early age?  Family members in business. Yes.  All my siblings had or have restaurant. City + Suburbs

6. Why do you have so many repeat customers? We have customers coming since we opened 30 years ago. We make them feel like home know what dishes they like we customize their dish if they want no garlic extra spice or other.

7. Do you cook more Northern or Southern Italian cuisine?
Our cooking is more lite a mix of Mediterranean ingredients. Strong from Southern Italy. But we cook dishes from all over Italy. And use the latest trends of dishes + spices.

8.What about your wine list?  How important is it to pair wines with the entrees? Wine list is very important which complements our food. We select wine that goes with our menu. Also good wines that have high rating in win spectacular magazines.

9. What are you most proud of as a business owner of Via Veneto?  First of all you need to love what you are doing, which I do. This is the only type of work I know to do. I like serving people cooking for them . it’s a day that never is boring. Always meet people, on daily basis know their food taste and please them. Cater to them. I am proud of that.

10. Why should people come to the Chicagoland Italian American Professionals networking event on August 25th? Give us a preview of some of the food and wine that people will enjoy.  First it fits the title (Italian) American professional. You are coming to a Real Italian Restaurant and a chef + owner from Italy. Tony Barbanente. Focaccine house made. Funghi Ripieni, Pizza Margherita, Mini Meat Balls, Bruschetta, etc. Wine will pair the food.

Welcome to the first edition of Q&A with Salvatore, the executive director, of the Chicagoland Italian American Professionals.  In the Q&A's, Salvatore will interview various business and community leaders around the Chicagoland area as well as people around the world that are experts in their chosen professions.  
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In this first edition, Salvatore interviews Eric Dixon, the head brewmaster of Eataly and learns about Eataly and what is unique about their microbeer.

1. What is Eataly? Founded by Oscar Farinetti, Eataly is the largest artisanal Italian food and wine marketplace in the world. From the opening of the first location in Turin in 2007, the philosophy “Eat. Shop. Learn.” has spread to the rest of the world. 

2. Why does Eataly have its own microbrewery? Beer is a big part of Italian culture that is often overlooked in the States. It is important to Eataly to recognize and celebrate every area of Italian culture!

3. What is unique about the beer? The beer that we serve at Eataly is either Italian, domestic, or brewed in-house. We carefully source and choose each producer based on the quality standards and brand values. 

4. Tell us about the brewmaster. Eric Dixon is the head brewer at La Birreria, the in-house micro-brewery and brewpub at Eataly Chicago. He manages the entire brewing process from start to finish, including sourcing ingredients and testing new recipes. Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, Eric started brewing at Nodding Head Brewery and Restaurant after graduation from Siebel Institute in Chicago. Before joining the team at Eataly, Eric was brewing down south in Fort Worth, Texas, at Revolver Brewing. His favorite part of Chicago is the amazing beer culture and the opportunity to work with other local and Italian beer brands through Eataly and the Birreria Brothers.

5. Why are you passionate about beer? Beer is a big part of Italian culture that is often overlooked in the States. It is important to Eataly to recognize and celebrate every area of Italian culture!

6. Is there something unique about Italian beer? In regards to this, I found a really great article you may find interesting: http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/03/best-italian-craft-beer-baladin-del-borgo-pausa-cafe.html **Teo Musso and Birra Baladin are one of the Italian beers that we carry here at Eataly!

7. Give us a little coming attraction about the beer tasting experience we can expect on April 28th? While enjoying our delicious food and drink, guests will have the opportunity to speak 1:1 with Eric, our head brewer, about the brewing process and any of our beers. In addition, Eric will be offering tours of our microbrewery!

8. Why should someone want to come to Eataly? The reason people come to Eataly is to explore the Italian culture in its entirety. Everything, from Nutella to fresh pasta and meat to gelato, can be found within our 63,000 square feet.

9. Are all the items imported from Italy? Contrary to popular belief, we do not import everything from Italy. We carry both domestic and Italian products. Above being Italian, Eataly values quality. If we can find a higher quality product or a more sustainable source in the States, we are going to choose to carry that product. A good example of this is our dairy department, which carries only domestic products.

10. How would you summarize the Eataly experience a first timer may expect? Honestly, overwhelming. Have you been in the store before? There is a lot to do, see, and eat. We recommend guests have a nice bit of time to explore, and be willing to try new things! We are always having local producers in the store for demonstrations, events, or special pop-up restaurants or counters. During your event, you'll find a Limoncello Bar by Pallini and a special restaurant dedicated to famous American chef, James Beard.

About the Authors:

Salvatore J. Sciacca is the executive director of the Chicagoland Italian American Professionals, an organization dedicated to furthering the Italian culture through business networking events, cultural events, and other related events specifically targeting Italians, Italian Americans and Italiophiles.  The next CIAP event is April 28th at Eataly at 7pm.  Feel free to contact Salvatore if you have any questions.  
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Eric Dixon is the head brewer at La Birreria, the in-house micro-brewery and brewpub at Eataly Chicago. He manages the entire brewing process from start to finish, including sourcing ingredients and testing new recipes. Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, Eric started brewing at Nodding Head Brewery and Restaurant after graduation from Siebel Institute in Chicago. Before joining the team at Eataly, Eric was brewing down south in Fort Worth, Texas, at Revolver Brewing. His favorite part of Chicago is the amazing beer culture and the opportunity to work with other local and Italian beer brands through Eataly and the Birreria Brothers.