L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano A fter months of planning and h a r d w o r k , fueled by the e f f o r t s o f m a n y v o l u n t e e r s , C a s a Italiana—Italian Cultur- al Center officially opened on May 29, 2021. When fully realized, the new Italian cultural center w i l l i n c l u d e a n I t a l i a n library, exhibition space to p r e s e r v e d o c u m e n t s a n d photos that record the her- itage and contributions of I t a l i a n s i n t h e P a c i f i c Northwest, meeting rooms, offices, commercial kitchen, b a n q u e t s p a c e a n d a n espresso bar that opened t h i s s p r i n g . O n e o f t h e offices now houses Seattle's Honorary Consul. A small group of digni- taries were on hand to inau- g u r a t e t h e n e w c e n t e r . These included L o r e n z o Ortona, consul general o f I t a l y , a n d F a b i o Massimo Ballerini, con- sul of Italy – both from t h e G e n e r a l C o n s u l a t e i n San Francisco. The current and past honorary consuls f o r S e a t t l e , E l i s a b e t t a V a l e n t i n i a n d F r a n c o T e s o r i e r i , w e r e a l s o i n attendance. W a s h i n g t o n s t a t e a n d several city officials were on h a n d o n o p e n i n g d a y : S c h u y l e r H o s s , W a s h i n g t o n ' s d i r e c t o r o f international relations and p r o t o c o l ; J i m m y M a t t a , mayor of Burien; and Stacey Jehlik, Seattle's internation- al affairs director. Katalin Pearman, presi- d e n t o f t h e C o n s u l a r Association of Washington, a n d A n d r e a R e a y , p r e s i - d e n t / C E O o f t h e S e a t t l e S o u t h s i d e C h a m b e r o f C o m m e r c e , w e r e a l s o i n attendance. The guest list was kept small because of p a n d e m i c g u i d e l i n e s restricting large gatherings. F o l l o w i n g o p e n i n g remarks, Fr. Paul Magnano with Skagit Valley Catholic Churches gave the blessing, and guests were invited to tour the building, which is located at 13000 1 st Avenue South in Burien, about 10 minutes south of Seattle. i n W a s h i n g t o n s t a t e , " h e said. Casa Caffè, located inside t h e n e w c u l t u r a l c e n t e r , opened in March. This wel- c o m i n g s p a c e , c u r r e n t l y open six days a week, serves c o f f e e f r o m l o c a l I t a l i a n roaster Caffè d'Arte. Pastry and other delicious treats are provided by pastry chefs from the Belle Epicurean and Honey and Harmony. When the building was purchased last fall, it had been vacant for months and s o m e c l e a n - u p w o r k w a s required. The local Italian and Italian American com- munity came together over m a n y w e e k e n d s t o p u l l weeds, clear trash that had collected in the parking lot, c l e a n o u t t h e b a s e m e n t crawlspace and paint the interior. T h e p r o p e r t y p u r c h a s e price was $1.3 million. The bulk of the down payment of $450,000 was provided b y C a s a I t a l i a n a - I t a l i a n C o m m u n i t y H a l l a n d I l Punto. The rest was made up by private donations. A fundraising campaign has set $3 million as its tar- g e t g o a l . S o m e o f t h e s e funds will be used to pay off the $850,000 loan within two years. The additional $1.7 million will be used to build a banquet hall, com- mercial kitchen and other building upgrades to accom- m o d a t e e v e n t s . C a s a Italiana is also seeking in- kind donations, such as con- struction materials, labor by licensed professional con- tractors, experienced design professionals, furniture and equipment. The organization plans to h o l d s o m e f u n d r a i s i n g events, as well. Those will kick off this summer with a r a f f l e f o r a V e s p a m o t o r scooter which carries the colors of the Italian flag. The winner will be selected at the Vespa Festa in mid- June. In early May, a $50,000 gift in memory of Gill and Alma Centioli was made by the Centioli extended fami- l y , w h i c h i n c l u d e s t h e Centioli, Biesold, McTigue and Sauro families. The gift is one of the largest dona- T h e 7 , 0 0 0 - s q u a r e f o o t building, now the perma- n e n t h o m e o f t h e I t a l i a n American community in the Pacific Northwest, was pur- chased last October from a Burien business forced to close its doors because of the pandemic. Speaking at the ceremo- ny, Ortona reflected that the day was a long time coming and was made even more special because of the chal- l e n g e s b r o u g h t o n b y t h e p a n d e m i c . " T h e I t a l i a n A m e r i c a n c o m m u n i t y i n Washington state and the H o n o r a r y C o n s u l a t e o f Seattle now have a home… and we cannot wait to par- ticipate in all the wonderful events that will be organized by Casa Italiana in the years to come," said Ortona. Ortona congratulated the Italian American communi- ty for following through on i t s d r e a m s a n d h e r e c o g - nized donors for their out- p o u r i n g o f s u p p o r t . " T h e Italian Consulate General in San Francisco is committed more than ever to support our wonderful community tions made to Casa Italiana since the fundraising cam- paign began. Gill Centioli w a s a b u s i n e s s m a n w h o was very active in the local Italian American communi- t y . H e b r o u g h t f a s t - f o o d burgers and chicken to the Pacific Northwest via Gil's D r i v e - I n a n d a K e n t u c k y F r i e d C h i c k e n f r a n c h i s e . The family's next two gener- a t i o n s f o l l o w e d i n G i l l ' s f o o d - o r i e n t e d f o o t s t e p s , o p e n i n g P a g l i a c c i P i z z a , Maggiano's Little Italy and Merlino Foods, among other businesses. C o m m u n i t y d o n a t i o n s such as these, as well as vol- u n t e e r s w h o c o n t r i b u t e their time and talents, will g o a l o n g w a y t o h e l p i n g C a s a I t a l i a n a – I t a l i a n Cultural Center fulfill its vision: to create a perma- nent physical space dedicat- ed to embracing and renew- i n g t h e j o y a n d v i b r a n t d i v e r s i t y o f t h e s o u l a n d spirit of Italy. For more information or to make a donation, visit: https://casaitalianacc.org/d onate/ RITA CIPALLA A $50,000 donation from the Centioli, Biesold, McTigue and Sauro families to Casa Italiana will help fulfill the center's goal of creating a permanent home in the Pacific Northwest (Casa Italiana - Italian Cultural Center) SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY Seattle's Italian Cultural Center opens after months of planning

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