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Spanish, Italian cultures mesh at St. Rose of Lima parish
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Maria Rodriquez of Youngstown separates pork from the bones in the kitchen at the 48th annual St. Rose of Lima Church Festival, Tenney Avenue, Campbell. The festival features Spanish food as a main attraction and continues from 5 to 11 p.m. today.
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Jose Esparra of Campbell paints a Spider-Man face on Jayden Hartsfield, 2, of Liberty, late Saturday afternoon at the church festival in Campbell.
Spanish, Italian cultures mesh at St. Rose of Lima parish
By Denise Dick
Campbell
Work started in mid-June to prepare for the feature that draws most people to the St. Rose of Lima Church Festival.
That’s when Carmen Molina and the men and women of the church kitchen started making the Spanish food: pastelillos (meat pies), rellenos de papas (potato balls with meat), alcapurrias (fried smashed plantains with meat), arroz con gandules (rice with green peas), sandwich de lechon (Spanish pork sandwich), bacalaitos (fried haddock pieces), tostones (fried smashed plantains) and guienos cocidos (boiled green bananas).
“The freezers were full,” said Molina, patting the freezers inside the bustling St. Rose kitchen. She’s been working in the festival kitchen for 20 years.
On a busy day, the kitchen can go through 150 pounds of pork and 100 pounds each of rice and potatoes.
Organizers of the 48th annual event say the menu is the four-day festival’s biggest attraction.
“Absolutely, 100 percent the food,” said Rey Esparra, festival chairman.
He’s led the festival, which also includes a talent show, music, games and an auction, for the last seven years with help from his wife, Nancy, and other volunteers. His father was the chairman for eight years before that.
When Molina retires from the festival kitchen, though, Esparra says his term as chairman will end, too.
“When she goes, I go,” he said.
St. Rose of Lima originally was in Youngstown but moved to Campbell. About three years ago, it merged with St. Lucy Parish.
“It merged the Italian and the Spanish cultures,” Esparra said. “It’s been very successful. It was God driven. It had God’s blessing and God’s hand on it.”
Those two parishes are now expected to merge with St. John the Baptist and St. Joseph the Provider, both in Campbell, as part of the Diocese of Youngstown’s reconfiguration plan.