For seven years now, the men of St. Christopher’s Holy Name Society throw a big pasta dinner for parishioners as well as long-time Staten Islanders who get the word-of-mouth scoop. The event benefits the school’s scholarship programs, but equally as important, it’s a full day of bonding among guests and between the guys cooking in the school kitchen.
All of the pasta (some 100 plus pounds), tomatoes for sauce, cheese, vinegar, and olive oil are donated by Colavita USA of Linden, New Jersey. The four principles of the company all passed through the Catholic Parochial school of Grant City during the seventies.
Spearheaded by Mario DiCrocco, the fifteen-plus team of men each have designated roles: salad prep, sauce-maker, pasta cooker, line-guy, and varying types of servers. By the night’s end, the kitchen is a tomato sauce/oil and cheese mess. And also by that point, the beer and wine has made the rounds; cigars begin to emerge from pockets. The closing ritual of libation and smoke inevitably marks a day of success.
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