Live Cooking Demonstration
Friday, June 19th • 5:30pm
“My Dad Can Cook” 
at Casa Belvedere
Live on Casa Belvedere’s Facebook Page
This week’s special 
Father’s Day Episode will be held 
Friday, June 19th • 5:30pm
Enjoy this unique approach to creating a Mixed Italian Grill with Panzanella Salad and Special Aperol Spritz Cocktail.
Live Coffee Chat at
Casa Belvedere
Saturday, June 20th • 10:00am  
Father’s Day Chat on
“What My Father Taught Me” 
with author Maria Giura
Saturday, June 20th • 10:00am
 
Join author Maria Giura, PhD, as she discusses passages from her book “What My Father Taught Me”. Together, you and Maria will share childhood memories and commonalities of an Italian-American father-daughter relationship. The book will hit close to home, as it’s written by the daughter of an Italian immigrant facing many struggles in his pursuit for a better life. It’s also deeply rooted in the Italian-American culture of Brooklyn, NYC from years ago, now a by-gone era!
 
Each Coffee Chat guest is entered to win a copy of the book “What My Father Taught Me”
Italian Fathers 
In the United States, Father's Day is celebrated every June. In Italy, fathers are feted on St. Joseph Day every March 19. So technically, Italian-American daddies are celebrated with two holidays!
The Feast of Saint Joseph, in Western Christianity, is the principal feast day of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary and legal "earthly father figure" of Jesus Christ. The feast day has the rank of a solemnity in the Catholic Church, although the religious traditions of Festa del Papà have become a more generic celebration of fatherhood in Italy.

In the United States, Father's Day is celebrated annually on the third Sunday of June. The American holiday honors fathers, celebrates fatherhood, and the influence of fathers in society.
The Italian-American father is often invested in family life, not just in his own house, but in the extended family and local community. These traditions were embedded by earlier generations of men who immigrated to the United States in the 20th century, especially from southern Italy. Many were poor farm workers or simple artisans from small villages, eager to work as hard as possible to achieve the American dream. 

In their new country, they typically worked in farming or landscaping, in factories, or on construction sites. They helped build America's infrastructure, and their hard labor enabled them to provide for their wives and children, and save their money – the pinnacle of success for an Italian man.

Many of these early patriarchs settled in the New York metropolitan area, clustering in neighborhoods with other Italians, often because they faced social rejection. Most were deeply religious, raised as Roman Catholics, with a cross over every bed. They were active in the local church and shared their blessings with the less fortunate. More than a half-million Italian-American men served in the American military during World War II.
When he wasn't working, an Italian-American father was likely to be fussing over his enormous garden, fig-trees, and probably grapevines to make wine. Children typically lived at home up until the day they married - often to someone of Italian descent - and still came home every Sunday for a large family dinner, often hearing stories of past ancestors and the "old neighborhood."

Modern-day Italian-American fathers have not strayed too far from the work/family ethic of their immigrant parents, although their career choices have expanded well beyond what their ancestors did many years ago, as have their incomes. Their families have generally grown smaller in size while living in larger houses, and not necessarily in ethnic clusters. There is more intermarriage among different nationalities and greater assimilation into the melting pot that is America.

Still, today's Italian-American fathers embrace "La Famiglia" and tend to stay close to home, even after they get married, to help care for aging parents. Likewise, Italian parents often help their adult children get settled, sometimes giving financial assistance to buy a house, and helping to raise their grandchildren.

And where women were once the only ones who cared for the house and children, Italian-American fathers often share equal responsibilities with their spouses. They help cook, clean, and care for children. 
Few would begrudge an Italian-American father the "two holidays" associated with fathers. Many celebrate St. Joseph's Day every March with special sweets: the bigne` di San Giuseppe, similar to a cream puff; and sfinci, fried dough sometimes filled with sweet ricotta cheese. And in June, those same Italian-American dads are just as likely to grill steaks on their backyard grills, happy to celebrate the rich American life given to them by prior generations. 
Virtual Wine Class
Wednesday, June 24 • 6:30pm
Cheers!
Wednesday, June 24 • 6:30pm
Virtual Wine Class with 
Wine Expert Tony Margiotta

Discover Which Types Of Italian Wine Are Showing Masterpiece Quality Today!

Surprise that special dad with this unique 
Virtual Wine Class gift that includes the option of buying exclusive wines discussed during the presentation. 
Register now so that the wines will arrive in time.
The Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere
Preserving the Past, Enriching the Future
79 Howard Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10301
T. 718-273-7660 • E. info@casa-belvedere.org