34 | SUNRAYS OCTOBER 2014
ONLINE:
SCTXCA.ORG
PHOTOS BY KRYSTAL WILSON
The Italian Cooking Class meets the first Wednesday of each month. Shown left to right: Joe Scavella, C. J. Carlig, Joe Sommo,
Jim Callazzo, Donise Hardy, Fred Verri, Eddie Verdecanna.
“Avanti,”
said the sign on the door. “I’m
in the kitchen cooking.”
So, I
avanti’
d.
Just like every good Dean Martin
song, the Italian cooking class began
at a cocktail party. Donise Hardy was
eavesdropping on a conversation between
husbands who wanted to cook and wives
who wanted their kitchens kept clean.
Offering the group her home (as well
as her professional culinary expertise),
they cooked up their first
Celebrazione
di Italia
on April 2, 2008.
Six years later, seven hearty members
gather on the first Wednesday of every
month: Jim Callazzo, C.J. Carlig, Joe
Scavella, Joe Sommo, Eddie Verdecanna,
Fred Verri, and, of course, Donise. Red
wine flows freely, as does the conversation.
Italian music plays in the background.
There is an unmistakable feeling of family
here, as if a group of brothers had gathered
together to swap stories and to eat.
Antipasto
begins with a bowl of warm
formaggio di capra
(goat cheese) and
thin round slices of bread for dipping.
Like all of the menu items, this dish was
almost too beautiful to eat. From start to
finish, every plate has real curb appeal
– tough for those trying to curb their
appetites, but great for everyone else!
Platters of
paella di riso
come next.
Golfball-sized portions of rice stuffed
with Parmesan or Gorgonzola cheese,
rolled in breadcrumbs and deep fried,
“Avanti:” The Italian
Cooking Class
By Mike Gullickson
This appetizer – Chaud Formaggio di Capra un Salsa di Pomodoro con Crostini
(Warm Goat Cheese in Tomato Sauce with Crostini) –
almost
looks too good to eat!
