Italian Gardens: A History of Kansas City Through its Favorite Restaurant

Italian Gardens: A History of Kansas City Through Its Favorite Restaurant

Occasionally, a place exists that captures the spirit and history of an area much larger than itself. The Italian Gardens restaurant in downtown Kansas City was such a place. Through its doors came the personalities, stories and experiences of Kansas City, but it built a reputation that extended from coast to coast.

Co-written by Carl J. DiCapo, John David DiCapo and Frank R. Hyde.

Captured within this book is the story of this one unique restaurant and the larger story of the Italian-American experience. From the struggles of the early immigrants to the family traditions and the Italian impact on city life in urban America, the Gardens symbolized the spirit, style and personalities that have come to define the Italian-American story.

It is a story populated by heroes with names like DiMaggio, Marciano, Lanza and Sinatra. It is a story of optimism, entrepreneurship and the American Dream.