
At Frank Pepe's, a century of coal, clams and thin-crust pizza
Frank Pepe had a decision to make in the early 1960s. With no sons to inherit the popular pizza shop he'd opened in 1925 in New Haven, Connecticut's Little Italy, it seemed like it was time to sell the business. His daughters, Elizabeth and Serafina, had other ideas.
'My mother and aunt went to him and said, 'Give us the business,'' recalls Jennifer Bimonte-Kelly, Frank's granddaughter, now 68. 'He didn't think that women could run it, but as an Italian man, he managed to put his views to the side and hear them out.' After all, his wife, Filomena, had already been handling the bookkeeping for 40 years at that point.

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Time Business News
7 hours ago
- Time Business News
The Ultimate Shopping Experience Inside the Biggest and Best Mall in Pakistan
The retail landscape in Pakistan has transformed dramatically in recent years, shifting from conventional bazaars to expansive, current purchasing shops. These department shops are greater than simply locations to save. They are now full-day destinations for households, pals, and vacationers. From branded stores and entertainment zones to gourmet dining and indoor theme parks, the modern mall offers something for everyone. Among them stands a towering symbol of luxury and scale. The biggest mall in Pakistan. It's not just large in terms of space; it offers the most complete shopping and entertainment experience in the country. But which one earns the title of the largest mall in Pakistan, and what makes it the best mall in Pakistan for thousands of visitors each day. Packages Mall is home to loads of local and international brands, multiple enjoyment options, and a huge food court docket that attracts food lovers from throughout the city. What units it aside isn't simply its length, however its centers. From a hypermarket and cinema complex to children' play zones and luxury fashion shops, it surely has the whole lot below one roof. Whether you are a fashion enthusiast, a parent searching out a circle of relatives-friendly sports, or a foodie searching for your next favorite meal, this mall has you blanketed. Packages Mall in Lahore to be the first-rate mall in Pakistan for the overall revel in colourful towns, Packages Mall gives an unrivaled combination of shopping, dining, entertainment, and aesthetics. Packages Mall is domestic to high-quit fashion brands, luxury accessories, electronics stores, and family items. All organized in a spacious and fantastically designed indoors. It offers a top rate revel in without the chaos, thanks to its considerate layout, customer service, and smooth environment. Families, couples, students, and even travelers flock here day by day, making it one of the most visited malls. One of the important highlights of Packages Mall is its seamless integration of neighborhood culture with cutting-edge layout. It celebrates Pakistani manufacturers alongside international names, presenting a properly-balanced shopping journey. The mall also hosts fashion occasions, product launches, and seasonal fairs, making each go feel like an experience in place of just a shopping journey. No buying trip is entirely without a meals smash and the meals courtroom in the biggest and first-rate department shops in Pakistan is a destination in its very own proper. In malls like Packages Mall, Emporium Mall, and Lucky One Mall, food courts are carefully curated to offer something for anyone. Whether you are yearning for fast meals, desi flavors, Asian delicacies, or Italian dishes, the food court gives dozens of alternatives in a smooth, vibrant, and family-friendly setting. Popular names like McDonald's, Hardee's, OPTP, KFC, Subway, and Pizza Hut sit down aspect through facet with neighborhood favorites like Biryani Express, Bundu Khan, Howdy, and The Wok. The meals courtroom normally functions as a mass of seating, making it clean for large households or agencies to dine together. You'll also find dessert kiosks imparting gelato, waffles, shakes, and conventional Pakistani candies. In some cases, there may even be stay tuned or weekend activities that enhance the dining experience. Beyond the meals court docket, cafes and first-rate dining eating places are scattered at some stage in the mall. These encompass international coffee chains, rooftop lounges, and intimate bistros that provide an extra relaxed place for food or meetings. Today's pinnacle shops in Pakistan offer an awful lot greater than retail therapy. Entertainment is now an important part of the mall revel in, in particular for households. The biggest mall in Pakistan generally has a wide range of leisure centers which include multiplex cinemas, indoor amusement parks, VR gaming zones, bowling alleys, and tender play regions for children. In Emporium Mall Lahore, as an example, there's an indoor amusement park that could be a favorite amongst young families. These enjoyment areas make malls an all-day destination, wherein households can store, consume, and play all without ever stepping outside. This aggregate of retail and endeavor is one of the key motives why modern shops are overtaking traditional purchasing facilities in recognition. The rise of purchasing malls in Pakistan is more than just a retail trend. It's a cultural shift. With the emergence of massive shops throughout towns like Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad, people at the moment are transferring far from crowded traditional markets in the direction of prepared, weather-controlled, and safer buying spaces. Families do not visit malls most effectively for shopping. These locations have grown to be places to satisfy, rejoice, dine, loosen up, and even attend business meetings. Another aspect that contributes to the appeal of the most important shops in Pakistan is their grand and cutting-edge architectural design. Walk into Packages Mall, or Lucky One Mall, and you'll be impressed by using their interior elegance. Tall ceilings, marble floors, ambient lighting fixtures, and natural spaces supply those department shops with a global appearance and experience. From style indications and product launches to weekend concerts and kids' contests, the first-class malls in Pakistan maintain matters exciting with regular activities. Promotions are often mall-extensive, allowing consumers to enjoy offers across diverse categories — from apparel and electronics to beauty products and domestic essentials. Loyalty packages, scratch card campaigns, and lucky draws are also commonplace, making each visit potentially worthwhile. For instance, at some point of the Almas Sale, or a Sapphire Lawn Sale, shoppers can grab premium merchandise at discounted prices. Similarly, brands like Borjan, Outfitters, and Khaadi regularly provide save-huge promotions that make the mall a bustling hub of interest. The best mall in Pakistan is not only approximately its length or logo range — it's additionally approximately convenience, cleanliness, and protection. Top shops ensure steady parking, wheelchair accessibility, smooth restrooms, and adequate safety staff to offer a snug and worry-loose experience for traffic of every age. Most huge department stores are placed in prime regions of huge cities, making them easy to get admission to with the aid of public or private delivery. Parking regions are spacious and nicely-prepared, regularly featuring valet offerings and committed spots for women and people with disabilities. Additionally, the indoor environment is right for year-spherical purchasing, in particular all through severe climate conditions. Central air-conditioning, noise control, and properly-maintained public regions make contributions to an exciting ambiance, whether you're there for a fast go or a full-day outing. No mall can be declared to be the high-quality mall in Pakistan without providing pinnacle-tier offerings in phrases of hygiene, safety, and accessibility. Fortunately, malls like Emporium, Packages, and Lucky One have raised the same old throughout the board. These malls employ skilled protection employees, have CCTV surveillance, and follow strict cleansing schedules to ensure a safe and sanitary environment. The upward thrust of the largest mall in Pakistan has revolutionized the manner people store, dine, and spend their enjoyment time. With world-magnificence infrastructure, limitless buying options, superb food courts, and tasty entertainment centers, those shops have emerged as more than retail facilities. They are lifestyle destinations. So whether or not you are planning a shopping spree, a family dinner, or certainly an area to hang around and relax, travelling the biggest mall in Lahore or Karachi is an enjoyment you gained't need to overlook. TIME BUSINESS NEWS


Newsweek
8 hours ago
- Newsweek
Lauren Sanchez Wipes Social Media After Marrying Jeff Bezos
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Lauren Sanchez Bezos has deleted all her old photographs from Instagram and updated her profile with her new name after marrying billionaire business tycoon and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on Friday in Venice. Newsweek contacted Sanchez for comment via Instagram direct message and the Amazon press office on Saturday outside of regular office hours. Why It Matters Bezos and Sanchez's wedding was a major society event with guests including the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Tom Brady, Kim Kardashian, Orlando Bloom and Bill Gates. By deleting all her previous photographs on Instagram, the only social media platform she has a public facing account on, Sanchez could be seeking to emphasize what a life-changing experience she expects marrying the world's fourth richest man to be. What To Know Following Friday's Italian wedding, Sanchez updated her Instagram name from "Lauren Sanchez" to "Lauren Sanchez Bezos" and deleted all her old photographs from the platform. On Friday, she posted three photographs on Instagram as an album, the first in color showing her wearing her wedding dress and the other two black and white shots of her being assisted putting the dress on. In the post, which received over 170,000 likes from Instagram users, Sanchez wrote: "Not just a gown, a piece of poetry. Thank you @dolcegabbana for the magic you made." The luxury fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana made Sanchez's wedding gown. Sanchez later added a second picture of herself in her wedding dress alongside Bezos, along with the caption "06/27/2025" and a heart emoji. Friday's wedding took place on San Giorgio Island, with Bezos and Sanchez seen leaving the five-star Aman hotel early on Friday for the exchange of vows. A welcome reception was hosted on Thursday with a guest list of more than 200 including President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner. On Saturday, a wedding reception is scheduled to take place at the Arsenale, formerly the site of armories and shipyards that is located on the eastern side of Venice. The wedding was initially intended to take place in Cannaregio, part of Venice's historic center, but this plan was scrapped after protests were announced by local campaign group "No Space for Bezos." Lauren Sanchez pictured on June 27, 2025 in Venice, Italy. Lauren Sanchez pictured on June 27, 2025 in Venice, Italy. KGC-34/STAR MAX/IPx/AP In an X post on Tuesday, No Space for Bezos wrote: "We won! The protests have managed to ruin Bezos' plans and the little power games of Mayor Brugnaro [Venice's Mayor Luigi Brugnaro]." On Monday, activists from international environmental group Greenpeace and campaign group Everyone Hates Elon unfurled a giant banner in Venice's St. Mark's Square, calling for Bezos to pay higher taxes. The 65x65 inch banner read: "If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax."


San Francisco Chronicle
13 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
How one call from California legend Robert Mondavi changed the fate of this historic winery
For decades, the charming Canard Vineyard has sat in the shadow of its neighbor: the gondola at Sterling Vineyards, one of Napa Valley's biggest tourist attractions. Canard's tiny, unassuming operation, which has some of the oldest, burliest vines in Napa Valley, is the antithesis of Sterling's white-washed mountain perch across the street. 'We've always been kind of under the radar,' said Adam Fox, Canard managing director and partner, 'and that's kind of how we like it.' But that could soon change. Despite its founding in 1983, Canard opened to the public a couple of years ago for the first time, unveiling a fascinating history involving the Donner Party and a fateful phone call from California wine legend Robert Mondavi. Offering a no-frills, old-school experience — complete with two friendly pigs — Canard may finally stand out in a sea of flashy, corporate-owned estates. When Rich Czapleski and his wife, Carolyn, purchased the Calistoga property (1016 Dunaweal Lane), one of the first things they did was hire a vineyard manager, who advised them to rip out the Zinfandel plantings on the property. 'Everyone was pulling out Zin. There was a lot of money (being paid) for the French varieties,' said Fox. Czapleski wanted to plant Bordeaux grapes. But a week later, Czapleski, a stockbroker, received a phone call. Robert Mondavi was on the end of the line, and he was inquiring about Czapleski's plans for the old Zinfandel vines. When Czapleski shared his decision, Mondavi urged him to keep the vines, explaining that 'the history of Napa Valley is right here in this vineyard,' Fox said; Italian immigrants planted many of Napa Valley's early grapes using vine cuttings they brought from home. Over time, Italian grapes were largely replaced with French varieties, like Cabernet Sauvignon, which ultimately put Napa Valley on the map. In the 1960s, when Mondavi was founded and Cabernet Sauvignon began its meteoric rise, acreage grew by more than 450% to over 2,500 acres, according to the California Grape Acreage Report. Today, there are 23,000 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon planted in Napa Valley compared to just 1,300 of Zinfandel. 'He was really adamant about protecting this vineyard,' Fox said of Mondavi. Two days later, Czapleski's phone rang again. Another Napa Valley visionary, Joe Phelps of Joseph Phelps Vineyards, was calling with a similar appeal. 'When you're the new guy in town and Mondavi and Phelps tell you not to pull out that vineyard, you listen to them,' said Fox. 'Those two phone calls literally saved that vineyard.' After Czapleski decided to keep the Zinfandel vines, three Zinfandel heavyweights — Ridge, Ravenswood and Storybook Mountain Vineyards — reached out saying they wanted to buy his grapes. 'He didn't know who to sell it to,' Fox said, so he created a friendly competition. 'He said, 'Give me a bottle of Zinfandel in a brown paper bag and whoever's wine I like the best with the lamb I'm grilling tonight will get the contract.'' Joel Peterson, the famous founder of Ravenswood, won and signed on as Canard's first winemaker as part of the deal. Czapleski replanted the rest of the estate to Bordeaux varieties, but the Zinfandel remains, taking up six of Canard's 23 acres. All of the Zinfandel vines are over 100 years old, and some as old as 140; these may now be the oldest Zinfandel vines in Napa Valley, according to the Old Vine Registry. While mostly Zinfandel, the block was established as a traditional field blend, with between 10 and 15 different Italian varieties interplanted. Because of their age, the vines don't produce much fruit, but Canard has no plans to remove them. 'For economic reasons, we should have ripped them out. Forty-two years later, and they still don't pay for themselves, they don't even cover the farming costs,' said Czapleski. 'But it's not always about money. Sometimes, it's about history.' When guests pull up to Canard, which translates to duck (Czapleski's nickname) in French, they're usually greeted by a pair of rescue pigs: the rambunctious Felix and the docile Wilbur. Stunning gardens, curated by Carolyn Czapleski, a master gardener who once owned a wine shop on the Sonoma Plaza, surround a farmhouse built in 1859. The original owner was Reason P. Tucker, an early Napa Valley settler who led the first rescue effort for the Donner Party trapped by snow in Lake Tahoe. In return, California general and statesman Don Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, who played a pivotal role in California's independence from Mexico, gave him a land grant for the Calistoga property. A social hot spot in its heyday, it's now a quaint hideaway where the Czapleskis live. Tastings ($75-$150) are hosted by Fox or Rich Czapleski, who, at 82, can still be seen driving his tractor through the vineyard. An old garage was converted into a simple, cozy and private tasting room. 'We want to keep the authenticity of what Napa used to be,' said Fox, though the price point is more in line with modern day. 'To me, that's farmers and winemakers, and it seems like that's changed a little bit.' Fox would know. When he met Czapleski in 2010, he'd just left a job at a corporate winery. 'It felt like a machine. The tasting bar was three people deep. It felt like there was nothing but tour buses,' he said. 'It didn't feel like the Napa in my head.' But when he stepped onto the Canard estate for the first time, he said it fit 'that image in my head of what a real Napa winery is.' He called Czapleski over and over, trying to convince him to turn Canard into a more serious business endeavor. At the time, Czapleski was semi-retired, selling most of the grapes and keeping a small amount for the Canard label. Fox ultimately won him over at a lunch, during which Czapleski said he 'hired him on the spot.' Fox became a partner in Canard, which now produces just under 4,000 cases of wine, including three Bordeaux blends and two Zinfandels — which Czapleski described as 'more elegant' than the stereotypical 'big, jammy, fruity' Zinfandels — annually. The winery doesn't make any white wines, but does have a rosé that's a rare blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and 100-year-old Zinfandel grapes, a 'red wine drinker's rosé,' said Fox. When he came on board, Fox wanted to host tastings at the property immediately, but the permitting process took years. Yet the timing may have been just right, coinciding with a noticeable shift in the industry: Some wine drinkers are trading lavish lounges and caviar pairings for more casual, unpretentious experiences that hearken back to Napa's early days of wine tourism. 'When you come down this driveway and an old guy on a tractor pours you a glass of wine, you taste the authenticity, that pride that goes into putting their name on the label,' Fox said, noting that Czapleski's personal phone number is also printed on it. 'He's the real deal.'