In this episode of the Italian American Stories Podcast, Stephanie welcomes writer and historian Brian D’Ambrosio, author of the book Italian-Americana: Explorers, Entertainers, and Eccentrics.

Brian’s book highlights more than forty fascinating individuals whose lives helped shape the Italian American experience across centuries—from early explorers and Revolutionary War patriots to entertainers, athletes, and unforgettable personalities.

During the conversation, Brian discusses several figures featured in the book, including legendary bodybuilder Charles Atlas, football player Brian Piccolo, and other notable Italian Americans whose stories reflect the wide range of accomplishments, struggles, and contributions within the Italian American community.

Rather than focusing only on immigration through Ellis Island, Brian’s work explores a much broader timeline, revealing how Italian heritage has been woven into the fabric of American history long before and long after the great waves of immigration.

If you enjoy discovering lesser-known stories and unique personalities from Italian American history, this episode offers a brief look into the many remarkable individuals featured in Italian-Americana.

You can find Brian’s book Italian-Americana: Explorers, Entertainers, and Eccentrics through major booksellers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

A Wednesday in Boston’s Little Italy.
January 15th, 1919 began like any other day in the North End.

Children walked home from school.
Delivery drivers made their usual rounds.
Families went about their daily routines.

But by the afternoon… everything would change.

Episode 88 of the Italian American Stories Podcast is now available.

Before there was a restaurant, there were coal mines.

In the early 1900s, Italian immigrants from southern Italy and Sicily settled in southeastern Oklahoma, building a tight-knit community rooted in family, food, faith — and hard work. In the small town of Krebs, Oklahoma, one young immigrant named Pietro Piegare followed his father into the mines at just eleven years old.

But a mining accident would change his life forever.

After crushing his leg in a cave-in, Pete reinvented himself — first by brewing a unique wheat beer inspired by the Choctaw people, and then by cooking heaping plates of spaghetti and ravioli for his fellow miners. What began as friends stopping by for “some of that stringy stuff” and a cold Choc beer would eventually become one of Oklahoma’s most beloved Italian restaurants: Pete’s Place.

In this episode, we explore:

• The Italian coal mining communities of Krebs and Pittsburg, Oklahoma

• Oklahoma’s 52-year prohibition era

• Basement brewing and jail time

• A 1950s automatic spaghetti fork invention (yes, really)

• The Italian ambassador’s visit to Krebs

• Two sons who served in WWII — one wounded in Italy and awarded a Purple Heart

• And the lasting legacy of a red sauce joint that still thrives nearly 100 years later

From Campania, Italy to Little Italy of Oklahoma, this is the story of Pete Prichard, Choc Beer, and the rambling old house hidden by trees that became a cornerstone of Italian American life in Krebs.