Mount Carmel has the receipe

July 28, 2013 at 12:09a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Las Vegas has nothing on Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

So says Angela Tortora, a native of Alliance who has lived in Las Vegas since 1992, yet makes an effort every year to come to the Italian Festival at the church, which will wrap up its 15th year today.

“I mark this on my calendar to make sure I’m at this festival,” said Tortora, who said she has come for several years in a row.

She makes the effort because of the family atmosphere at the festival, which she said cannot be found in Las Vegas.

“It’s so much of our family, our life, our heritage, our roots,” Tortora said. “I don’t know everyone here, but yet we feel like a real Italian family.”

She said she especially likes the polenta and the Italian sausage with sauce.

The food at the festival is far better than in Las Vegas, Tortora said. “It’s more authentic,” she said.

She attended this year’s festival with family members who are still in Alliance and said she will try to come back as long as she can.

“We’re truly blessed to have our Italian heritage,” Tortora said.

The theme for this year’s festival is “Year of the Family.”

Mike Iacobucci of Boardman also was enjoying the food Saturday. He said he makes it a point to attend each year.

“It’s the best, cleanest festival in all of Youngs-town,” Iacobucci said.

Inside the hall is a display of what is used to make Italian food, interspersed with pictures of families cooking and enjoying their food or wine. Liz Mirone, who also was the church’s Italian Woman of the Year and is on the festival committee, said they wanted to give a feel for people of having Sunday dinner with their grandmother.

The parishioners of the church also made a brand-new cookbook for this year’s festival, drawing from two previous cookbooks, as well as new recipes because they had not had a new cookbook for some time, Mirone said.

Included in the cookbook is a recipe by the church’s pastor, Msgr. Michael Cariglio, for pasta from Rome. Mirone has several recipes in the book, but she said her go-to recipes are sufrette and Italian sausage with endive.

The cookbook has been selling very well since the festival opened, said Mary Ann Cardiero, another committee member, said they anticipate another good day today.

Mirone said all the work put into making the festival happen is worth it because it helps the church.

Church member Eugene Calcagni was named the church’s Italian Man of the Year.

The festival runs from 1 to 10 p.m. today at 543 Via Mount Carmel Ave.