EPISODE 415. Most times, a good talk with an OG will lead you in the right direction. This week, we have a very special guest in Sandy Blue Eyes. Sandy is a through-and-through New York Italian American who has worked around entertainment for decades and is best known for being the bodyguard and close friend of Chazz Palminteri. Tune in for an amazing episode filled with knowledge, as he shares his story and gives us lessons in how to be the best version of a young upstanding Italian American.

https://www.youtube.com/@growingupitalian

Sign up to our Patreon for A LOT of extra content and NO ADS here https://www.patreon.com/growingupitalian

To shop our merchandise, visit: https://www.redsaucestudio.com

Be sure to check our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growingupitalian

As always, if you enjoyed this video, be sure to drop a Like, Comment and please SUBSCRIBE. Grazie a tutti!

Chapters: 1:00 - Sandy's Suits 3:00 - Growing Up in Bed-Stuy 8:00 - The Ice Business 10:00 - Moving to Long Island 11:00 - Stickball Players 14:00 - The Bodyguard 16:00 - City Jobs 18:00 - Meeting Chazz 22:00 - Life Changer Chazz 25:00 - A Bronx Tale 27:00 - Big Elvis Guy 28:00 - Single & Ready to Mingle 31:00 - Rules of a Gentlemen 35:00 - Respect in Dating 38:00 - Online Dating 41:00 - The Gravy Test 45:00 - Red & Green Flags 48:00 - Sandy's Date Journal 51:00 - Being a Good Italian 55:00 - Italian Word of the Day 57:00 - This or That? 59:00 - Elvis, Dean or Frank? 1:04:00 - Eighteen Egg Whites 1:06:00 - Sandy's Lawn Care

EPISODE 414. We're back in the podcast kitchen for a new episode! Joined by a true OG of Italian cooking content, Laura Vitale. We talk about her whole journey from early life, growing up in Italy and eventually settling in New Jersey -- where she's built a global audience by turning her love for cooking and traditional family dishes into one of the most expansive libraries of Italian food recipes on the internet. Tune in!

https://www.youtube.com/@growingupitalian

Be sure to follow Laura here:

https://www.instagram.com/mrsvitale

Sign up to our Patreon for A LOT of extra content and NO ADS here https://www.patreon.com/growingupitalian

To shop our merchandise, visit: https://www.redsaucestudio.com

Be sure to check our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growingupitalian

As always, if you enjoyed this video, be sure to drop a Like, Comment and please SUBSCRIBE. Grazie a tutti!

Chapters: 1:00 - Laura's Hair & Coffee 4:00 - Born & Raised in Napoli 6:00 - Francese in America 9:00 - Learning from the News 12:00 - Food Content OG 15:00 - Having a Supportive Partner 18:00 - YouTube Recipe Library 23:00 - Food Network 25:00 - Trying too Hard 29:00 - Sauce vs. Gravy 32:00 - Italian vs. Italian American Food 35:00 - Baked Chicken Cutlets 38:00 - Italian Hot Dogs 41:00 - Healthy Eating 43:00 - Regional Foods 46:00 - 5 Things to Perfect in Cooking 51:00 - Pizza Di New York 54:00 - Best Food in Italy 57:00 - Quando sei in Italia 1:03:00 - Pio Pio il Coniglio 1:04:00 - i Piatti Piu Consumati 1:07:00 - Two Banned Ingredients

EPISODE 413. If you consider yourself a pizza lover, there's no shot you haven't heard of Lucali... Mark Iacono shares his story of growing up in Brooklyn, opening a pizza shop in his once-beloved childhood candy store, and how he went from just a guy who loved a good slice to a true pizza wizard behind the counter. Tune in if you love pizza, the old NYC, or are dying to know the secret to getting a table at Lucali!

https://www.youtube.com/@growingupitalian

Be sure to follow Mark here:

https://www.instagram.com/lucali_bk

Sign up to our Patreon for A LOT of extra content and NO ADS here https://www.patreon.com/growingupitalian

To shop our merchandise, visit: https://www.redsaucestudio.com

Be sure to check our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growingupitalian

As always, if you enjoyed this video, be sure to drop a Like, Comment and please SUBSCRIBE. Grazie a tutti!

Chapters: 1:00 - Red Hook or Carroll Gardens 3:00 - Bread and Baccala 5:00 - Italian Leftovers 7:00 - Finding Love for Pizza 9:00 - No Toppings on Pizza 12:00 - The Name Lucali 14:00 - Buying the Candy Store 19:00 - Two and a Half Years 22:00 - Your Neighborhood is the Best 24:00 - First Times a Charm 29:00 - Grand Opening of Lucali 33:00 - How to Eat at Lucali's 37:00 - Counting Blessings 40:00 - Florida Pizza 42:00 - Jay Z's Coca-Cola Machine 45:00 - Lucali's Pizza Style 47:00 - Renting Out the Joint 49:00 - Sitting Next to Celebrities 50:00 - Secret Night @ Lucali's 52:00 - $500k or Dinner with Jay Z 54:00 - Best Pizza Cities 57:00 - Sauce or Gravy and Favorite Toppings 59:00 - Back and to the Left 1:03:00 - Mark's Leisure Time 1:05:00 - No Kitchen