Taste Italy in Charlotte at two weekend festivals

By Tom Hanchett

Back in the 1880s – 1910s, thousands of Italian immigrants streamed into places like Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Cleveland seeking the American Dream. Now many of their great – grandkids are moving south to Charlotte, new epicenter of opportunity.

That means authentic Italian food is finally a thing in the land of the meat-and-three. You can taste and discover at two different weekend festivals around the Queen City.

At the upscale end of the spectrum, check out Festa Italiana under the soaring canopy of uptown Charlotte’s Gateway Promenade. Sunday afternoon May 21 it fills with ten restaurant chefs preparing Italian appetizers and risottos. Expect wine and, for your sweet tooth, cannoli and gelato. It’s all you-can-eat for one ticket price, benefiting Charlotte’s Nevins Center.

Want down-home Italian family food? Get over to St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, just off I77 two exits below Carowinds, on Thursday, Friday or Saturday, May 18 – 20. The church takes its name from an Italian saint and its founding priest Father John Guiliani grew up Italian in Rhode Island. So naturally the parishioners launched an Italian festival as a fundraiser, now in its twenty-second year.

“We’ve made about a thousand pounds of meatballs this year, all mixed by hand,” says church member Denny Rodino. A descendant of Italian steelworkers, he comes from the Pittsburgh area by way of Cleveland and Syracuse.

“Every Italian home’s gotta have its own recipes for meatballs and sausage,” he says with pride. “Ours is from Ann DiNoto. I took over the meatball-making from her.” And nope, he won’t disclose, except to say it involves parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs and “our own mix of spices.”

“Our sausage recipe we’ve been using for about twelve years. It’s from Joe Tramontana, from New York state,” Rodino goes on. “We make some hot, some mild — 1140 pounds this year. It always sells out.”

Look for sausage sandwiches with grilled sweet peppers and onions. Or ask for a sausage on your pasta plate — with house-made red sauce, of course.

St. Philip Neri Italian Festival 2017
Thursday, May 18, 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Friday, May 19, 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Saturday, May 20, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

292 Munn Road, East
Fort Mill, SC 29715
(803) 548 – 7282

spnitalianfestival.org

Festa Italiana Charlotte 2017
Sunday, May 21, 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Promenade at Gateway Village
800 W. Trade St. at Cedar Street
Charlotte, NC 28202
(704) 560 – 3030
festaitalianacharlotte.org