In this episode of the Italian American Podcast, the crew explores the intersection of Italian American heritage and vegan cuisine with Tara Punzone, chef, author, and the force behind Pura Vita, Los Angeles' first 100% vegan Italian restaurant and wine bar.

The conversation blends family history, cultural memory, and the challenge of preserving tradition while removing animal products from classic dishes. Punzone reflects on her path to veganism, shaped by an early empathy for animals and a childhood spent in a family of devoted home cooks.

Rather than rejecting Italian foodways, she reframes them, pointing out how much traditional Italian cuisine is naturally plant-based—born of frugality, seasonality, and vegetable-forward regional cooking long before modern food labels existed.

HER CREDENTIALS:

Tara Punzone Author Vegana Italiana Chef & Owner of Pura Vita www.puravitalosangeles.com

HER SOCIALS:

Instagrams:

@cheftarapunzone

@puravita_la

ORDER HER BOOK VEGANA ITALIANA :

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/769027/vegana-italiana-by-tara-punzone-with-gene-stone/

HOSTS:

Patrick O'Boyle

John Viola

Marcella Martin

SPECIAL GUEST:

Tara Punzone

PRODUCED BY:

Nicholas Calvello-Macchia

In this episode of the Italian American Podcast, Patrick, Mariana, and Marcella are joined by guest Umberto Mucci for a live conversation recorded at IAFL4 (Italian American Future Leaders 4), a national gathering of young Italian Americans. The discussion explores cultural identity, community building, leadership, nostalgia, and what it means to belong across generations and borders.

The conversation deepens as the group addresses longstanding tensions between Italians in Italy and their American descendants. Drawing on his experience on both sides of the Atlantic, Mucci offers a candid perspective on why Italian American pride can sometimes meet resistance in Italy, and how history, perception, and unresolved misunderstandings continue to shape those dynamics. The episode also previews a forthcoming podcast spinoff aimed at bridging that divide, featuring Italian journalists reporting from the United States for audiences in Italy.

Balancing humor with intellectual seriousness, the hosts dismantle stereotypes, share family stories, and respond directly to online critics. The result is an honest, engaging dialogue—and a call for greater empathy between communities bound by shared history, memory, and culture on both sides of the ocean.

THEIR SOCIALS:

UMBERTO-

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umberto.mucci/

Instagram: umbertomucci

MARIANNA-

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LAmarianna.gatto/

Instagram: @gattolosangeles

Website: https://www.iamla.org/staff/staff-marianna-gatto/

MARCELLA-

Instagram: Marcella_martinphd

Website: https://www.marcellamartin.com/

HOSTS:

Patrick O'Boyle

Marianna Gatto

Marcella Martin

SPECIAL GUEST:

Umberto Mucci

PRODUCED BY:

Nicholas Calvello-Macchia

In this episode of the Italian American Podcast, hosts John, Patrick, and Mariana welcome pipe enthusiast and business owner Michael Curcio for a lively conversation on Italian heritage, craftsmanship, and the quiet rituals that bind generations. What begins with pipe smoking opens into a broader exploration of restoration, bespoke artistry, and the unexpected revival of Italian pipe culture—where utility, beauty, and memory converge.

The discussion moves easily between humor and reflection, touching on immigrant family histories, old-world habits carried into modern life, and the meaning embedded in everyday objects. From Curcio's ancestors arriving in Harlem to stories of homemade wine, copper pots, ashtrays, and pipe clubs, the episode reveals how ordinary items become vessels of identity and continuity. Mariana adds personal texture with candid reflections on motherhood and domestic life, grounding tradition in the present.

Warm, thoughtful, and often funny, this episode explores how heritage is kept alive not by nostalgia alone, but by everyday use, care, and shared experience. Italian pipes emerge not as mere accessories, but as enduring symbols of community, craftsmanship, and legacy.

HOSTS:

Patrick O'Boyle

Dolores Alfieri Taranto

SPECIAL GUEST:

Michael Curcio

PRODUCED BY:

Nicholas Calvello-Macchia