The Feast Of San Gennaro

We don't do ethnic in L.A., at least not Italian Ethnic.

Well, minus St. Joseph's Table, that my family and I used to go to at a local church in Santa Clarita, it's pretty much a wasteland. That changed a few years ago, with the Feast of San Gennaro. Hollywood types like Jimmy Kimmel, were the Hosts and Precious Cheese sponsored it. I never attended it...until this year.
Amazingly, this is their 10th year, going at it. It is tiny, just a block of booths and some rides for the kids, but the spirit of Italy is there and I enjoyed feeling those feelings that I used to have, going to feasts in New York. Thankfully, there were not the crowds I used to deal with when my family took us to Little Italy in NYC. For this Long Island girl, it was the most people I had ever seen crowded onto a street. Very frightening to the child that I was, back then.


When I passed through the gate at the start of the fair, I realized that I was starving. I came for the zeppoli, but maybe I would get something else to eat, first. I saw cannolis being sold right at the beginning and when the girl tried to sell me one, I told her that I would catch up with her later and order three, on my way back. :-)

I then found a pizza place and a pasta place and sausage and meatball heroes, all which looked good to me. I went all the way to the end of the block and then began to make my purchases.
Vito's Pizza, looked just amazing to me. The cheese was what called my name. It looked just like NY style pizza and yes, it was. Thin crust, hardly any sauce and cheese to die for. Just how I like it.



As I was chowing down on the pizza, I picked up my zeppoli. They came with six large zeppoli in a bag filled with powdered sugar and as soon as that pizza was finished, I got my first taste of zeppoli in at least 30 years. Yum, yum, yum!

Then over to the cannoli girl. My husband had seen a story on KTLA Friday morning. They mentioned the Feast and the fact that there would be cannolis there. He requested that I try to get some. Otherwise, since I was already in for the zeppoli, I would have probably passed them by. Because of him, I bought three of them for dessert later.

To say the least, my family was happy...and I was happy.

Oh, in case you are wondering, I did check out other things besides food, like shirts, bumper stickers for the car and a whole booth on genealogy. There was a stage with performers, too.

Too bad I was all alone though. So after getting all my purchases, I headed back to Hollywood Highland, where I parked my car and drove home to my family.

A nice Italian evening. Maybe Hubby and I will go next year.