Jill Biden Set to Become the First Italian American First Lady

[Ohiogal]

Dr. Biden has a bachelor’s and doctoral degree from the University of Delaware, as well as two master’s degrees. She taught English and reading in high schools for 13 years, and also taught adolescents with emotional disabilities at a psychiatric hospital.

****

“Every weekend of my childhood, my parents would drive me and my four younger sisters back to New Jersey to see our grandparents. We loved the Annual Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Italian Festival. The rides, games, fireworks and the grand procession of saints through the streets of Hammonton… It was a festival where many Italian grandparents would bond with their grandkids,” Dr. Biden said during a recent Q&A with writer Joe Battaglia. “My grandmother cooked traditional Italian dishes for Sunday dinner. We would go to my grandparents house every Sunday because her cooking was the best. The red sauce and the meatballs and the pasta… I have beautiful memories of cooking with my grandmother, mom and four sisters. It was at their house that I made homemade tomato sauce for the first time.”

https://www.orderisda.org/culture/women/jill-biden-set-to-become-the-first-italian-american-first-lady/

[pfitz59]

1. This is great

I belong to two Italian Clubs which meet monthly for pasta and socializing (pre COVID). My kids are all half-Italian (their mom is full-blooded). Italians are such fun.

[Ohiogal]

11. I'm from the Youngstown Ohio area

Italians and Italian everything is so big here. It’s a very family oriented culture. I’m just loving the idea of a normal, down to Earth First Lady. Someone who would bring a casserole over to your house if you had a death in the family. Couldn’t be a bigger contrast from the, uh, well I won’t go there .....

[Demsrule86]

43. Hubs got a job at Lordstown Motors! So we are leaving Cleveland and moving to

Youngstown/Austintown area. We bought a house so the kids could live there when they went to YSU-One is still in school. It is a Hud house-fixed it up. Best thing we ever did. It saved us so much money. So we can just move back and either rent or sell the Cleveland House in the spring. We went to the Italian American festival when we lived in Cleveland...the one in Warren. The food was wonderful.

[dawg day]

2. First college professor First Lady too

As a community college prof myself, I'm eager to see how much more focus is put on this absolutely invaluable educational resource-- as she did before as second lady.

And she will be, I think, the first First Lady to work while in the WH. I think she's still teaching a bit at a local college.

[SheltieLover]

9. This is really wonderful!

Perhaps after 4 years of Dr. Biden's influence, kids will be getting a meaningful, real education!

[dawg day]

14. And truly, you want to help the "white working class"--

and the NON-white working class that Trumpers pretend doesn't count-- community colleges and especially the 1-year technical certificate programs are absolutely key.

[tblue37]

3. Cute pic of them:

[elleng]

6. BEAUTIFUL!

I recall reading, after they'd dated for a while, the boys (or one of them) asked something like: 'When are you going to ask Jill to marry us?!'

[dawg day]

15. In the old pictures, she's often adorable hippie chick--

Long blonde hair, easy smile, lithe figure.

[Klaralven]

23. Probably was

She married Bill Stevenson, a former college football player, in February 1970;[18] she became known as Jill Stevenson.[19][20] Within a couple of years, he opened the Stone Balloon in Newark, Delaware, near the University of Delaware.[18] It became one of the most successful college bars in the nation; in addition to local bands, musical artists who performed there included a 1974, pre-Born to Run fame Bruce Springsteen[18] as well as Chubby Checker and Tiny Tim.[21]

...

Meanwhile, she was going through turbulent divorce proceedings with Stevenson; the court case ended with her not getting the half-share in the Stone Balloon she had wanted.[18] A civil divorce was granted in May 1975.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Biden

[bdamomma]

27. Beautiful picture

I love both of them.

He calls he Jillie!!

[elleng]

4. Didn't realize that!

'Her father, Donald Carl Jacobs (1927–1999),[5] was a bank teller and U.S. Navy signalman during World War II who then used the G.I. Bill to attend business school and became head of a savings and loan institution in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia.[4][6] His family name had originally been Giacoppa before her Italian grandfather changed it.[6][7] Her mother, Bonny Jean (Godfrey) Jacobs (1930–2008),[8] was a homemaker,[5] and was of English and Scottish descent.[9]'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Biden

[marybourg]

5. And Doug Emhoff the first Jewish 2nd dude-or gentleman, whatever.

[tblue37]

8. A ticket full of firsts.

[smirkymonkey]

17. He is wonderful as well!

He is such a great person and so protective of Kamala. This is going to be a great team all around!

[Botany]

7. "It was at their house that I made homemade tomato sauce for the first time."

"The red sauce and the meatballs and the pasta… I have beautiful memories of cooking
with my grandmother, mom and four sisters."

OK I'm crying. We have real and good people coming back into the White House.


Aglio e olio food of the Gods. I have tried to make it but it is not near as
good as @ Italian Restaurant I went to N.E. OH.


Hey, you sit down. Eat something. Here is some bread to dip into the sauce.

[Ohiogal]

13. I felt the same way after reading that!

[Botany]

18. I dated an Italian girl back in the day and once her neighbors knew of me they were great.

One Italian "businessman" saw me walking as I was waiting for my friend to come
home and he was like, you come and sit down and eat with us. I was like sure I'd
love to ... as if I had a choice.

I wonder if Jill's people come from the northern part of Italy where you have some
natural blonds.

[Ohiogal]

20. The portrayal of an Italian mom

by Doris Roberts on “Everybody Loves Raymond” is pretty accurate.

“You hungry? Sit down, I’ll fix you something...”

[shanti]

29. Her gf was from Sicily

not Northern Italian. Bl/Bl is not limited to Northern Italy. The Romans were everywhere.

[Botany]

36. Thank you

I always thought that blond Italians were from the Alp/Apennines area.

Learning something new isnice.

[shanti]

39. No biggie

Today is an awesome day!

[smirkymonkey]

30. My father's family was from southern Italy, but my mother was English, Dutch and a little

Irish & Scandinavian and I am very Scandinavian/Dutch looking. A majority of Italian immigrants came from southern Italy.

Part of my father's family was dark and part of them were fair haired and blue eyed. The Normans occupied Sicily and southern Italy a long while back, so not all southern Italians are typically Italian looking.

I have met a number of southern Italians that looked like they could have been from central or northern Europe. My brother and I both have very light blue eyes and light hair (my brother's hair is darker now) as do his children (his wife does not, she is German and Dutch, blonde and hazel eyed). It must be a dominant gene.

Jill's mother's family was English and Scottish so she probably looked more like her mother, as I do, and her father could have had some recessive genes that would have given her the light eyes and hair.

[Botany]

37. Thank you!

n/t

[Celerity]

33. she is half Italian (Sicilian), her mum is Scottish/English

Her grandfather, Gaetano Giacoppa (who changed his last name to Jacobs), emigrated from Sicily.

[Botany]

38. Thank you

n/t

[Celerity]

42. yw!

[Drahthaardogs]

40. Fare la scarpetta

Is what you do with the bread, literally “ do the mop”

[Demsrule86]

44. My Grandma who was Irish so consider that said you have to use Anchovies to make this.

You crush them up to taste. Her Italian neighbor taught her in Chicago.

[Drahthaardogs]

10. About time

It was not too long ago when Italian discrimination was common. It’s still around

[FloridaBlues]

12. As a 1st Generation Italian I'm so proud. She will be a wonderful First Lady

[bdamomma]

28. Hey

She will have a garden for sure. And bring back the Rose Garden!!!

[smirkymonkey]

16. +1000

I'm so happy to have someone like Jill in the White House after having to put up with miserable Melania for four years! She will be such an asset to this country.

I am also half Italian and grew up with the same wonderful memories of going to my grandmother's house for authentic, delicious Italian food and learning how to cook it myself. I am just so thrilled to have this whole team on board for at least the next four years. I couldn't be happier!

[Ohiogal]

19. Maybe she will share her sauce recipe one of these days!

We are also thrilled to have an educator in the White House family ...my husband is a retired public school teacher. Hoping to see some respect brought back for teachers in the next 4 years. We are so tired of the current regime celebrating ignorance!

[smirkymonkey]

25. I did see a video of her sharing her homemade chicken parmesan recipe with fresh tomato

sauce and it's pretty much almost the way I would have done it. She seems like a very good cook!

And it's such a bonus that she is an educator and places so much emphasis on the importance of education at all levels. We need that to be a priority in this country again to keep this country strong and valuing democracy again!

[Ilsa]

41. That looked really good. I think I saved it

Or saved the page or bookmarked it on a device. Hope I can find it.

[Meowmee]

21. 😻

[IcyPeas]

22. Dr. Jill Biden's chicken parmesan... (video )

Link to tweet

?s=09

[shanti]

32. Thanks!

I wonder if she has a cookbook?

[Cha]

24. I never think of Jill Biden as Italian

but now I remember reading her maiden name awhile ago & thinking.. that's Italian!


This is Wonderful! So much beautiful Diversity in our new Admin to be. Kamala's husband is Jewish!

[Celerity]

34. her maiden name is Jacobs, her mum is Scottish/English, her Sicilian grandfather changed his

name from Giacoppa to Jacobs when he emigrated to the US.

[Renew Deal]

26. She met the pope in 1980

Not sure what the story behind this is...

[LeftInTX]

35. I think he visited the US in 1980

Joe was a Senator and Catholic, so they probably had a special visit.

[bdamomma]

31. She's the real thing

I'm looking forward to her as being 1st lady.

[ecstatic]

45. Woo hoo! And her educational background is incredible!

You go, first lady!

[Demsrule86]

46. What a lovely family...Jill looks lovely. So does Kamala.