Giving Back

The last couple months at the Italian Club have been a whirlwind of activity!

We hosted the Festa della Repubblica Celebration, we staged our 2^nd in a series of Battle of the Bottles, we rocked at Taste Addison winning the People’s Choice Award, we’ve introduced a new format for Wednesday nights called W.O.W. (Wine on Wednesday) and on top of all of that, we’ve staged our regular events including two great Regional Cenas featuring Tuscany and Umbria.

Now it’s time for us to take a little break and to give something back.

In addition to our support of our two regular charities, the Children’s Craniofacial Association and the Special Olympics Texas Bocce Tournament, we’re extending our outreach.

Last fall we tried something new and our member volunteers found it to be one of our most fulfilling events – Feed the Troops at D/FW Airport – so fulfilling in fact that we’re planning to repeat it. 

Every day, between 150 and 250 members of the United States Armed Forces depart D/FW Airport for deployment in the Middle East.  This year, on September 12, the day after the 10^th Anniversary of 9/11, the Italian Club of Dallas will once again be feeding these heroes as they depart for the Middle East to protect and defend our great nation.  Plans are underway to give these men and women a warm and delicious send-off, Italian Club of Dallas style!

Something else that’s new will be presented at our General Membership Meeting on June 26 ~ the formation of Gli Angeli del Circolo Italiano Dallas ~ the Italian Club of Dallas Angles.  As the Italian Club, we encounter situations of Italian’s residing here in Texas who are facing extraordinary circumstances.  In the Dallas area, they have had no place to turn… until now.

I’ll be personally heading up this new extension of our community outreach and will share more details about the program after we’ve released it to our General Membership on June 26.

During our recent Festa della Repubblica Celebration at the Club, Miss Clara Vick was presented with the Star of Italian Solidarity and the title of Cavaliere (Knight) for her tireless, lifelong dedication to the support of Italian POWs.  During the acceptance remarks, her daughter Rita stated quite simply: “Mother taught us our entire lives that you give back to others without expecting anything in return… that’s just how you do it.”

Her words really hit home with me personally and they are why I’ve championed these added programs on behalf of our Club.  I know the kind hearts our members have and I know they will respond enthusiastically to support these new extensions of our current community outreach. 

It Was A Night of Knights!

We hosted our Festa della Repubblica and Italy’s 150^th Anniversary of the Unification event at the Club Saturday night… and what a night it was!

Following a welcoming reception, we began the night with a performance by I Colori Italiani, our Italian folk dance troupe from the Italian Club.  Our guests then followed a procession of the flags of Italy and the United States into the dining area. 

Leading the flag procession was US Army Major General Keith Thurgood.  The flag of Italy was presented by Colonel Gianluca Piccolomini, Commander RAMI of the Italian Air Force at Sheppard Air Force base who was joined by several members of the Italian Air Force.  The flag of the United States was presented by retired US Air Force Colonel and the current Mayor of Parker, Texas, Joe Cordina.

With the colors in place, the guest joined in rousing versions of the Italian and American national anthems led by soprano Marsha Anderson and tenor Ron Montgomery.

Next up, I had the honor of introducing the many dignitaries and guests attending.  Our special guest for the evening was the Consul General of Italy, Fabrizio Nava who was joined by the Consul Generals from the countries of Finland, Japan, Malta, Mexico, Peru, Romania and the Slovak Republic.  Rounding out the list of dignitaries were Castro County Judge William Sava, General Director and CEO of the Dallas Opera Keith Cerney, COO of American Eagle Airlines Fred Cleveland and Sr. Executive VP of Flight Operations at American Eagle, Captain Jim Winkley.

The President of Com.It.es (the Italians’ living abroad committee) Vincenzo Arcobelli then presented remarks which included a moving video paying tribute to the 150^th Anniversary of the Italian unification.  Mr. Arcobelli was followed by Consul General Nava who shared some very special moments.

Mr. Nava began with the reading the declaration passed through the Texas legislature designating June 2 as Italian Heritage Day in Texas.  He then presented two “Star of Solidarity” Knighthood Awards as declared by the Italian President to the Chair of the Castro County Historical Commission Miss Clara Vick and to the Distinguished Professor of Art History at Southern Methodist University Dr. P. Gregory Warden.

Consul General Nava, Rita and Clara Vick, Vincenzo Arcobelli and myself

With the formalities completed, our guests enjoyed a wonderful four-course meal prepared by our Chef Tomasso.  Following dinner were performances of Italian Art Songs and arias by Marsha Anderson and Ron Montgomery and the fitting conclusion of the evening was the singing of Happy Birthday (in Italian) as Consul General Nava, Mr. Arcobelli and myself cut the beautiful birthday cake.

As an American-Italian, I have to say this was one of my proudest evenings at the Italian Club of Dallas.  The evening had the perfect balance of protocol, history, emotion, hospitality, friendship and entertainment and it was a wonderful representation of our Italian heritage and traditions.  I was honored to have played a small role in the evening.

Buon Compleanno, Italia!

If you ask any American which is the newer country ~Italy or America~ chances are most will answer America.  Well in reality Italy is the newer country and this week marks a special birthday celebration.

While what we think of today as “Italian” culture and identity has existed for many centuries, it was only in the 19th century that, thanks to a unique combination of political, military, diplomatic and cultural achievements, the country we now call Italy came into being as a unified country. On March 17, 1861 the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed, eventually becoming the Italian Republic on June 2, 1946. 

Each year on June 2, Italians recognize the creation of the Italian Republic in 1946 with La Festa della Repubblica (The Celebration of the Republic). And this year is extra special because it also marks the 150^th (Centocinquanta) celebration of the Unification of Italy.

To celebrate Italy’s birthday, we’ll have a pair of very special events this week at the Italian Club Dallas.

On Friday, June 3 during our weekly Cena we’ll celebrate Italy’s 65^th birthday with a special menu prepared from regions all over the peninsula. We’ll also have informational brochures about the unification as well as a performance by our own I Colori Italiani dancers.   Reservations for this special birthday Cena can be made here.

On Saturday, June 4^th we’ll have an even more special celebration at the Club.  In recognition of this special year, we'll welcome Consul General of Italy Fabrizio Nava, military and civic dignitaries, and other special guests at this reservations-required event.  Among the many dignitaries joining Signore Nava will the Consul Generals of several other countries. 

The evening will begin with a cocktail hour featuring special antipasti and complimentary prosecco, an elegant meal and live entertainment performances.  Consul General Nava and the Italians Living Abroad Committee (Com.It.Es.) President Vincenzo Arcobelli will give a brief presentation about the history and significance of Italian unification, and informational short films on the subject, courtesy of Com.It.Es., will play on the ICD's big screen. This will be a special evening to meet the new Consul General, Dignitaries, and out of town guests, enjoy wonderful Italian cuisine & entertainment, and raise a glass to our beloved Italia.  Again, reservations are required for this special evening and they can be made here.

We hope that you will join us for one of these two special celebrations we’re hosting to celebrate Italy’s birthday but if you can’t and would like to learn more about the history, we’ve created a special page here on our website that gives you a brief overview of the key historical figures behind the unification of Italy.  

The Truth According to Google and Yelp

Have you ever Googled yourself?  Did you like what you were able to find that floats around about you in the virtual world?  It can be pretty overwhelming to see just what you will find.  In the virtual world, everyone is capable of expressing their thoughts and opinions about everything from politics to religion to sports to people… and to restaurants.  As a restaurant, the Italian Club Dallas exposes ourselves countless times every day to the opinions and reviews of our guests.  If they have a bad experience with us, there are a lot of places they can write about it.

Now combine this with the other thing I’ve seen in my time as President.  By an overwhelming majority, people write to me or talk to me when they have had a bad experience with us versus a good one.  Its human nature and I know I do it myself.  When we are spending our hard earned dollars, we expect to be delighted and when we are disappointed with our expenditure, we want to let someone know that they fell short of our expectations.  When are expectations are met, we feel it’s what we expected anyway and when our expectations are exceeded, we’re happy but rarely do we take time to write that we are.

SO with that, I monitor everyday what is written about the Italian Club in the virtual world.  I have a series of Google alerts set up so that anytime any mention of us happens anywhere virtually, I get an alert.  If we have a problem, I want to know immediately so it can be addressed and corrected.  Recently an alert came across my email that I wanted to share.

The review below was written and posted on Yelp, which is a site where “real people write real reviews” about restaurants.  In this case the reviewer was a gentleman named Rick C.  I don’t know Rick C. and while I try to personally greet visitors every time I’m in the Club, I didn’t get the opportunity to meet him the night he was in.  Yet Rick C. took the time to write about his experience and to me it said that we are doing our job.  The verbatim text of his review is below and you can read it yourself online here on Yelp.

And to Rick C., thank you for sharing and I’m glad to know that we met your expectations.

Rick C.

Addison, TX

5/14/2011

First, I am not a big fan of Italian food, and never have been...BUT...OMG this place has made a believer out of me.  Second, they only have dinner on Wed and Fri nights.  Third, it’s a club so it not your traditional restaurant, just an FYI

Food - The food was absolutely delicious, it was the best Italian food I have ever had...hands down... from the appetizer salad, to the plate of pasta (I didn't think I even liked pasta!), to the pork chop entree..I can't pronounce half the meal they brought us but I will say, I ate everything, and I am not a big eater...the dessert was a banana custard (but with the consistency of a pumpkin pie), topped with a maraschino sauce, soaked in some kind of liquor and was served over a fresh slice of pineapple and quite literally was the best dessert I have had in the past 7 years...probably longer.

Atmosphere was a fun, festive type environment and the people were forwardly friendly. The walls are lined with pictures from Italy, they had a projector set up and were showing slides of places in Italy, they also had volunteers doing traditional Italian dances that night.

Service -This style of dining was different, then what I was used to, We arrived late ...yes you can arrive late, they start serving dinner on Fridays at 7pm, everyone experiences the same meal together, they were going to not let us in but the manager (Vito) asked the chef if they had room for 2 more, and he obliged. They sat us speedily and began to bring the courses almost immediately. Vito visited our table many times to ensure we were fully taken care and happy. And quite interesting, the chef came to our table to check to see if we liked everything.

Experience
This was one of the most unique, non-Dallas, thoroughly enjoyable dining experiences I have had in the past 7 years of living here. It’s like a big Italian family party and you were invited.  If you like Italian wines and art, delicious food, and boisterous, fun, engaging Italian hospitality, then this is the place for you. If you have Italian roots you will feel right at home.

Summary
It is as authentic as it gets here in Dallas...and most any other place I have been too. I believe its Dallas best kept Italian secret, something not to be missed if you are here in Dallas. Grab all your Italian and non-Italian friends and take them here, you won't be disappointed

Round II of the Battle is This Thursday, May 26th – Italy vs. France

This Thursday, May 26th, we’ll present the 2^nd in our series of the “Battle of the Bottles” when we pair Italian wines versus French wines, all accompanied by a great four-course meal and an educational evening.

If you’re not familiar with the series, we launched it with Italian wines versus California wines.  (Read a review of it here.)  During the evening, our guests are treated to a four-course meal prepared for the wines… and the wines are selected for the meal.  Each course is accompanied by two wines, one from Italy and one from France… but we don’t tell you which is which until the end of the evening and after you’ve scored them yourselves. 

Two wine experts, one representing Italy and the other the French, will offer a description of each wine, delineating its history, describing what flavor notes to expect as you sample it, and providing its retail availability locally.  There will also be a purchasing opportunity at the end of the evening.

The menu for “Battle of the Bottles – Italy vs. France” will be:

1^st Wine

Niçoise Salad

A medley of tuna meat, anchovies, hard boiled eggs,

olives, green beans, and tomatoes

2^nd Wine

Gnocchi alla Salvia

Fresh potato dumplings with sage sauce

3^rd Wine

Agnello ai funghi

Lamb loin with chanterelle mushrooms and rice cake (tortino di riso)

4^th Wine

Formaggi Misti

Assortment of matured cheeses, honey, jams, and preserves

The cost is $52 for members and $62 for non-members and reservations need to be made today (Tuesday) by calling Vito at the Club at (972) 931-9167.

I hope to see you on Thursday!

Taste Addison – It’s A Wrap!

Our weekend at Taste Addison is completed and quite simply it was Molto Bene!  We had a great time meeting so many new people that came by to visit us, to try out our Spiedies or to simply have a glass of Italian wine or a cold Peroni and learn more about us!  Grazie Mille to all for visiting us and Taste Addison.

From our side, it was a long but really fun weekend.  Friday started a little rough with some bad weather that came through about an hour before opening (we got evacuated for a brief time) but we rebounded quickly and had hot food ready to go within a few minutes of opening.  The crowds on Friday were smaller but they were troopers and all seemed to be having a really good time.  My personal favorites of Friday were two ladies from another of the booths who stopped by and had a Spiedie.  As soon as they took one bite, they texted their co-workers and before long, we had served most of the staff of their booth our specialty!  Thank you A#1 Air!

Chef Tommaso grilling the Spiedies

Saturday started early with Chef Tommaso at the Club by 7am cooking up Spiedies for an appearance on Fox 4 Good Day.  By noon when the gates opened it got busy and stayed that way all day and night long.  In the early afternoon Chef Tommaso had to duck out for an hour to do a cooking demonstration over in the Taste Showcase.  I personally didn’t make it over there but I heard it was a standing room only crowd.  Later in the day, within 20 minutes of each other, I had 2 people stop by who knew what Spiedies are since they came from my hometown.  Both being connoisseurs of them, they gave ours a thumbs up and thanked me with one saying “I never thought I would see the word Spiedie printed on a sign in Dallas, Texas”.  Around 5pm the concert crowds starting rolling in and it was very busy until we closed that night.

Sunday we slept in (a relative term) and after a noon opening, we took some time to feed some of the security and vendor staffs who had been working so hard behind the scenes all weekend to support all of the vendors like us at Taste.  The day was sunny and hot and the crowds were great.  We closed it at 5pm and had everything struck and back at the Club by 7pm to conclude a successful weekend.  In total, we served somewhere in the neighborhood of 500+ Spiedie sandwiches plus another couple hundred each of our Italian Sausage and Italian Meatball sandwiches.

Now before I recognize some people, I want to add one note.  The voting for the People’s Choice Award is still open at this link on Facebook.  We’re currently in 1^st place and want to hold our lead until the voting closes.  If you haven’t voted for us yet, please take a minute and do so!

OK, putting on Taste Addison took months of effort and there are two groups that I’d like to thank.  First is the Special Events group from the City of Addison and especially Barbara Kovacevich and Chris McMurtry and also to Autumn Reo from Shiroma Southwest PR … thank you - you and your teams make this and every event we do with Addison a joy for us!

Some of our volunteers at the wrap!

The second and most important group is our own volunteers from the Italian Club.  Unlike every other booth at Taste, our team was composed 100% of volunteers.  In total we had over 40 members of our Club spend anywhere from a few hours to the entire weekend working in the booth.  Without all of you, we never could have done what we did.  


My personal thanks goes out to our Taste Addison Volunteers: Chef Tommaso Lestingi, Sous Chef Edgar, Angelo Vaccaro, Barbie Gumin, Gina & Tony Corazza, Fred Hansen, Doug Delsanter, Kathy Delsanter, Bobby Brown, David & Sue Mauriello, Sue & James Robertson, Matt Dio, Lisa Newman, Semira Pacifico, Tina Neal, Ben & Dottie Parlapiano, Ken & Jan Venuso, Bonnie & John Rahne, Les Jackson, Jenna Trovalli, Sheryl Champlin, Laura Justiss, Charles Castellano, Ron Miglini, Yvonne Chaney, Anthony Massa and Diane Caneva, Rae Gene Mungioli, Karen Mungioli, Chase Newman, Joe Murphy, Nick & Toni Parigi, John Pulley and Salli Goldstein.

Working the booth with
my daughter Jenna

I know we’ll be back at Taste next year but I hope to see you at the Club long before then and again, please remember to place a vote for us for the People’s Choice Award!

Taste Addison Is Here!

It's Taste Addison weekend and we're ready for a really great event!

The new banners for our booth are in and they look beautiful, our new t-shirts are in and they're great and our new Club brochure will be ready today!  And the best part is I sampled Chef Tomasso's Chicken Spiedies yesterday and they are simply delightful!  He has mastered the recipe for them and I promise you if you try one you'll be hooked!

Now all we need is two things... you to visit us at Taste Addison and you to vote for us in Taste: the Competition!

Taste Addison starts today (May 20) and here are the hours:
Friday - 6:00pm - Midnight
Saturday - 12:00pm - Midnight
Sunday - 12:00pm - 5:00pm

When you come, visit us in booth #89 which you'll find on this map.  And if you follow us on Facebook, check us out today for a Taste Addison special offer for our Facebook followers!

If you're at the event on Saturday, Chef Tomasso will be participating in the Taste Showcase in the Addison Conference Center on Saturday at 2:00pm.  You can find his recipe for a Seafood Risotto in the Taste Addison section of our website.

See you at Taste Addison this weekend and enjoy your culinary experience!