Rockland Sons of Italy Crown Meatball Cook Off Winners

From the Sons of Italy:

(Rockland) May 23 – On May 12th, Senator David Carlucci hosted the second Italian American Dinner and Meatball Cook Off at the Rockland Sons of Italy Lodge 2176. More than 90 people attended the event which included an Italian buffet dinner of spaghetti and meatballs as well as an enormous sheet cake featuring the Italian and American flags.

After the dinner, ten contestants entered their meatballs into the contest to be tasted and evaluated by the esteemed panel of judges which included Senator David Carlucci, Rockland County Clerk Paul Piperato, President of the Lodge Greg DeCola, New York State President of the Order of the Sons of Italy Carolyn Reres, Patricia Castelli Italian Language Teacher from Tappan Zee High School, and last year’s Cook Off Champion Rosalie Siciliano.

The meatballs were judged on several criteria including flavor, aroma, size, shape and texture. The judges, while not blind-folded, weren’t privy to whose meatballs were whose. The meatballs were sequestered in the kitchen where Lodge Board members marked each one with a numbered flag to be presented on the judge’s plates.

When the tough job of tasting all meatballs was completed, three winners were selected: First Place went to Anne Abbitine, Second Place went to Dennis Chiulli and third place went to Gloria Siciliano.

“This has quickly become a very popular event, not only because of the free buffet dinner courtesy of Senator Carlucci who is a member of the Lodge but also because of the fun we have during the competition. We are looking forward to hosting this every year” stated Lodge President Greg DeCola.

The Rockland Lodge 2176 of the Order of The Sons of Italy in America was established in 1966 with the goal of enhancing the image of people of Italian descent and has grown into one of the most active organizations in the area. The Lodge will host the 7th Annual Italian Feast and Carnival this September 15th through the 18th. The event draws thousands of people from around the tri-state area during the four-day celebration of all things Italian and has been recognized as one of the biggest events in Rockland County.

Updated information can be found on the Sons of Italy website at www.blauveltsonsofitaly.org. In addition to giving scholarship to students, funds raised through various events are donated to a variety of charitable organizations in and around the area. For more information visit www.blauveltsonsofitaly.org or visit them on Facebook here.

Photos by Risa B. Hoag