County Sheriff Dishes On 'Get Saucy' Fundraiser, Competitors

NYACK, NY — In a stunning upset reverberating among the cognoscenti in Rockland County, the judges at the annual "Get Saucy” fundraising event to benefit People to People awarded top marks to Tom Brizzolara's red sauce.

Deposed repeat champion Louis Falco, still reeling from his loss Dec. 1, dished to Patch about the contest, which over the past decade has drawn more and more spectators and collected more and more money for P2P, the largest hunger relief organization in Rockland.

"This is our ninth year and — let me make this clear — I've won seven of the nine," said Falco, the Rockland County Sheriff. "Tom is my friend but on that day he is my enemy."

The hunger relief organization feeds nearly 5,000 Rockland residents per month.

"We live in a middle class bedroom community and a lot of people take for granted what we have, but I do not," Falco said. "Any chance I can, I help. I've actually prepared and served Meals on Wheels, but the one I'm passionate about is People to People. "

In 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 crisis when many local people lost their jobs, P2P estimates it served 1.1 million meals.

"The past two years have been a little dicey — and we're not talking tomatoes — due to COVID and various other issues," P2P officials said on their website. "That is why this year People to People is ready to get saucier than ever! Get Saucy is a — mostly — friendly competition among local sauce makers."

This is the time of year that Rockland civic celebrities roll up their sleeves in the fund-raising event, where trash talk is considered an essential ingredient.

As Falco tells it, the contest came about after a party thrown by Nyack's then-mayor, Jen White.

"A beautiful person, she invites a lot of people, she works all day, she prepares what she calls sauce," he told Patch. "She asked, 'what do you think?' I said, 'it's OK.' She said 'what do you mean?' I said, 'it's like colored water, it's not gravy.' Then Diane Serratore said, 'would you be willing to challenge her? We can fundraise to feed the needy.' I said, 'of course.'"

Among the other contestants the first year was then-Rockland County Clerk Paul Piperato, who died in 2020. A documentary in his honor was shown at this year's event.

"Paul was my best friend since 5 years old," Falco said, before confiding to this reporter the rumor that in the first year of the contest, Piperato had allegedly tried to bribe the judges by promising to clear all their projects before the county.

"Tom is my friend too, but when it comes to this contest he's a scoundrel," Falco continued. "We both shop in the same Shoprite, and he follows me around to see what tomatoes I use. This year, I thought 'screw him' and went to Uncle Giuseppe's and lo and behold he was there!"

Brizzolara, Corporate Affairs director at Orange & Rockland Utilities, refused through a spokesman to give his sauce recipe to Patch.

"It's gravy!" said Falco.

However, Brizzolara shared some thoughts about People to People.

"The best way I think to capture the impact of People to People on the community is to say that People to People is the essence of real. There’s nothing theoretical about People to People’s work: these are real people dedicated to helping real people with real problems address those problems with real action," he said. "It’s about food on the table and clothes on the back and heads held a little bit higher because there will be supper for the kids tonight."

"The first time we did it we had 60 people in attendance; the other night we had 180 people," Falco said. "And I'm so proud of this: all the people involved, the people preparing, the judges, the people that attend. We raised almost $38,000 in one night."

If you'd like to learn more or help P2P help Rockland folks who are hungry, go to their website or call (845) 623-4900.

Patch has partnered with Feeding America since 2020 to help raise awareness in our local communities of hunger, a persistent national problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks and 60,000 local meals programs across the country, estimates that nearly 34 million people, including 9 million children — about 1 in 6 Americans — are living with food insecurity. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.