L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 17 Debbie Caminiti or fundraisers, and through the large In Kind donations from Maggetti Construction, Pietra Fina Marble, J.A. Antuzzi concrete, S&S welding, Ruth & Going, Frank Cozzitorto P.E., Best Electric, Biggs & Cardosa, Valentina Designs, Kathy Causi (Canada Marble), Enter Designs, and Peninsula Building Materials. The Arch is set to break ground in the next few weeks and has been a tedious process working through the City on erecting the Arch (Arco),that will rise 31 feet in the air and be visible from the nearby 87 Freeway at the gateway to Downtown San Jose. This is the first Arch built over the public right away in the City of San Jose since the San Pedro Square arch that was built in 1908. We feel that this Arch will officially make our project "Little Italy San Jose" and will serve as a monument to honor the countless Italian American contributions to Santa Clara County and the greater Bay Area. Another Exciting project is the Little Italy San Jose Cultural center & Museum project. Our Little Italy San Jose is a Non Profit Organization dedicated to the revival of the original Italian Settlement in San Jose dating back to the 1880's. For the past 5 years, Little Italy has moved in authentic Italian businesses such as Paesano Ristorante, Bel Bacio Italian Café, and La Piccola Scuola nel Parco, honored 30 prominent Italian Americans on park banners, and created a Piazza Piccola Italia with engraved bricks from the com- munity. The past few months have been very busy and exciting for this project as several initiatives that have been several years in the making are breaking ground. The first is the Little Italy Arch that was originally started as a concept 4 years ago by Joshua DeVincenzi Melander, Executive Director of Little Italy San Jose and Davide Giannella, the In Kind Architect from Acadia-Architecture. This pro- ject literally took the whole community, who either helped in the design, monetary donations through the brick program initi- ated by Assistant Director "Little Italy San Jose" Not just an organization, but an official destination Non Profit was able to purchase property and two Historic homes in our Italian district for a per- manent museum depicting the history of Italian Americans in Santa Clara County and be the gathering place for numerous Italian Cultural events. We were JoshuA dEVINCENzI MElANdER able to raise funds from the Italian community through dona- tions and want to thank the major donors that made this acquisition possible to further the cultural presence in Little Italy San Jose. Mille Grazie to John A. Sobrato, the DiNapoli/Mulcahy families, the Marchese/Owen families, The Trapani family and all those who helped make this a reality. We are finalizing our Architectural and engineering plans for this project and are excited on what lies ahead. Mar. 6, Thurs.-IAHF Dining Out Series: Cena Fuori, Tony & Alba's Pizza & Pasta (3137 Stevens Creek Blvd, San Jose), 7:00 p.m. $30 per person, includes dinner, dessert, beverage, tax & tip. More information www.iahfsj.org or 408-293-7122. Mar. 8, Sat.-Venetian Mask Making Workshop, 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Learn the history, and design and decorate a true Venetian mask with award winning artist Carla Almanza-deQuant. More information: www.iahfsj.org or www.gioiacompany.com, or tel. 408-293-7122. Mar. 19, Wed.- La Festa Di San Giuseppe, 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 10:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. In celebration of St. Joseph's Day, the IAHF is serving a complimentary lunch. Donations welcome. More information www.iahfsj.org or 408-293-7122. Mar. 27, Thurs.-La Divina Book Club, 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Discussion: Saving Italy: The Race to Rescue a Nation's Treasures from the Nazis, author Robert M. Edsel. More information www.iahfsj.org or 408-293-7122. Mar. 27, Thurs.- IAHF Dining Out Series: Cena Fuori, Chiaramonte's Deli (609 N 13th Street, San Jose), 7:00 p.m. $30 per person, includes dinner, dessert, beverage, tax & tip. More information www.iahfsj.org or 408-293-7122. Mar. 28, Fri.-Crab Feed Dinner, Dance & Door prizes, 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 6:00 p.m. All you can eat crab feed. $42 mem- bers / $48 non-members / $18 children under 12. More informa- tion www.iahfsj.org or 408-293-7122. Apr. 4, Fri.-Mission Peak Chamber Singers, 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 7:00 p.m. Doors open at 7:00, no host bar, 8:00 performan- ce, immediately followed by dessert reception. $15 adult, $12 IAHF members, seniors and students. More information: www.iahfsj.org or http://mpcs-iahf.bpt.me, or call 408-293- 7122. The Arch (Arco), will rise 31 feet in the air and be visible from the nearby 87 Freeway Now Open for Business Community Highlights Little Italy San Jose now has three Italian Businesses open for business and is on the verge of signing two more very estab- lished Italian business to our Italian District. Bel Bacio Italian Café opened in December of Last year to bring the 3rd authentic Italian business to Little Italy San Jose. Assistant Director Debbie Caminiti opened the business herself and is carry- ing 5th generation Barbera cof- fee from Messina, Sicily. In addition they carry Italian pas- tries, sandwiches, and have art and cultural events. Little Italy San Jose also has a parent partic- ipation co-operative Italian school that has native Italian lan- guage instructors, and Paesano Ristorante, which is owned by Giuseppe Spatola and is one of the business restaurants in Downtown San Jose. The most famous landmark in our district is the 1900 Historic Torino Hotel, which is currently operat- ed by the world famous Henry's High Life business. Hope to see you in Little Italy San Jose soon. On February 1, the Italian American Heritage Foundation of San Jose (IAHF) swore in their 2014 board of directors at the annual Polenta Dinner and Dance hosted by the IAHF and the Tricarico Club. This year the IAHF board welcomed a new President, Cleo Logan, and two new executive officers, Pam Oliver-Lyons, Vice President Promotions and Nancy Morreale, Vice President Programs, Joe Ponte will remain the Vice President Administration Operations. The entire board is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Italian culture with 2014 dedicated to keeping the Italian language alive in our schools and homes. Opera San Jose performance of Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly will close on March 2. One of the most beloved operas of all time, beautifully performed and directed by critically acclaimed Brad Dalton. Madama Butterfly will be followed by Mozart's Don Giovanni, opening night April 19 with Daniel Witzke, Stage Director, making his Opera San Jose debut. Don Giovanni is a dark comedy set in a dangerous game of seduction. An arrogant nobleman seduces every woman he meets until he encounters something he cannot kill, beat up, dodge, or outwit. Sung in Italian with English supertitles. Tickets are on sale now at www.operasj.org. Many of the Italians that settled in California took to the sea. In honor of the Italian legacy of fish- ermen, the IAHF will be hosting their annual Crab Feed and Dance, March 28 at 6:00 p.m. The fresh crabs are cooked and tossed in mixture of Italian spices, lemon and olive oil, served with clams and pasta, salad, and dessert, it's a feast fit for a king. Their premium wine and beer bar, serving hand selected California and Italian wines, will be open. They will also have door prices, music and dancing to make this a truly festive, can't miss event. Tickets go fast so make your reservation today. www.iahfsj.org. NANCY MoRREAlE Bel Bacio Italian Café JoshuA dEVINCENzI MElANdER

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