In 2022, after being paused for two years due to COVID, the Italian Community Center's A Taste of Italy fundraiser returned. This year it comes with an exhibition of work by three Italian-American artists!
This longstanding tradition at the ICC, 631 E. Chicago Ave., takes place Sunday, April 23, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
A Taste of Italy is run entirely by ICC volunteers, and helps support the annual Festa Italiana, which this year is set for Sept. 8-10 on the ICC parking lot.
As always, there will be a 50/50 raffle and musical entertainment in Festa Hall, but the food will be the real star.
Familiar favorites will be back, including meatballs, stuffed shells, eggplant spiedini, pizza, sausage sandwiches, pasta with tomato sauce, sfingi (fried bread dough), Italian beef sandwiches, sfincione (Sicilian-style pizza), arancini (rice balls), panini, Italian salad, peaches in wine and a pasta salad from Glorioso’s.
The tempting array of dolci will also return to Festa Hall, with pizzelle made on-site, Italian cookies, cannoli, tiramisu, gelato, spumoni and eclairs.
Tickets are $3 and samples are one ticket each, except for calamari, which will cost you two tickets.
Beer, wine, soda, water and coffee will also be available.
On the same weekend – which is the Spring Gallery Night, Friday and Saturday, April 21 and 22 – the ICC will show work by three Italian-American artists: Richard Lazzaro, Andre Ferrella and Antonio Testolin.
The artwork by the artists – who have a studio in Madison – will remain on view through May.
The show is called "It's About Time" and it is a celebration of the friendship and lifelong creativity of three artists who have been friends for more than 30 years.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
