Popular annual event scheduled Oct. 5 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Springfield.
Edward Laudato of Westfield at the Taste of Italy, at a previous Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Springfield. SPRINGFIELD –This is Rose P. Costa’s 18th year as chair of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish’s annual Taste of Italy celebration of Italian heritage; in fact, she is the only chair the event has had.
“It’s my parish, and I have a great team,” she says, explaining her longevity in the role. “We have a committee of about 40 people, and everybody has a special task. That’s what gets us through.”
On Saturday, Oct. 5, the Taste of Italy will take place at the school hall next to the church at 36 Margaret St., Springfield, from 4:30-8 p.m. beginning after the 4 p.m. Mass in the church.
“You see so many generations coming together, every age bracket,” Costa said. And not everyone is Italian. “It’s great family time.”
Albano’s Market in Springfield will provide lemon ice for the event. “It’s a tradition,” said Filomena A. Bruschi, an owner. “We’ve been selling it here (in the market) for 70 years.”
Her father, the late Crescenzo Albano, “loved the church so much, he’d be disappointed if we didn’t donate our time and our efforts,” she said of the Taste of Italy celebration.
Albano’s supplies 25 or 30 gallons or more of the treat made at the market with lemon juice (squeezed from fresh lemons), water and sugar.
Albano used to stop making the summertime treat on Labor Day, but Bruschi said “we have to keep it going until we make it for the church” in October.
In addition to the lemon ice, there will be favorite Italian main and side dishes made from recipes from different regions of Italy, reflecting the church’s heritage. These foods will include ricotta ravioli, lentil soup, gnocchi, ziti/chicken, chicken cacciatore, stuffed peppers, ziti alla zamboni, manicotti, meatball grinders, trippa, cirone, pasta e fagioli, frittelle di fiori, chicken francese, eggplant parmigiana, bracciole, sausage/potatoes/peppers, tomato salad, polenta and meat sauce, pizza, lasagna, baccala salad, stuffed shells, sausage grinders, calamari salad, tortellini soup, linguini with clams, mussels marinara, polpetti di risotto, tortellini/antipasto salad, chicken marsala and eggplant rolatini.
Much of the food—all of which is donated—is made from old family recipes. “They are old world recipes, passed down” from generation to generation, Costa said. “You have the opportunity to have something that’s authentic, that tastes the way your grandmother cooked it.”
Participating businesses include Albano’s Market, La Fiorentina, Frigo Foods, Milano Imports, Mom and Rico’s, Monte Carlo Restaurant, Primo’s Pizzaria, Sal’s Bakery and Cafe, Storrowton Tavern and Typical Sicilian.
A dessert table will feature special pastries and Italian ice, and espresso, cappuccino, wine, coffee and soft drinks will be served.
Food tickets will be sold at the door for $1 each, and items will be priced in $1 increments. Diners will select which Italian “tastes” they purchase. Take out will be available all evening.
For entertainment, there will be American music with Richard Montefusco and his “The Sound of Us” and Italian music with soprano vocalist Laurie N. Festa.
“This event is part of our cultural heritage. It’s a big event,” Festa said. “It’s a connection to our heritage.”
Half Italian, she grew up in Springfield and said that important to Italians are family, community, culture, food and religion.
Festa will perform Italian songs like “O Sole Mio,” “Santa Lucia” and “Non Dimenticar.”
Montefusco, a parishioner of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, said his band plays an eclectic selection of music from the 1960s to the present. The combination of his band’s music and Festa’s Italian repertoire “is a good combination for any festival,” he enthused.
The band—which played at the festival last year--will play four 15-minute sets. “People do get into the music,” he said, adding that songs are selected that allow people to talk with the music in the background.
The group’s play list includes works from Jesus Christ Superstar, Michael Jackson and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. “The list goes on and on,” Montefusco said.
A Grand Raffle and a 50-50 raffle will be drawn at 7:30 p.m.
Proceeds from the event are designated for the building of a new Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church Center.
“We are sharing our culture with the rest of the community,” Festa said.
For more information, call (413) 786-3205 or (413) 734-5433.