96th Annual Fisherman's Feast Featured Mary Ann Esposito and CSCA's Cesare Casadei
 

Sorrento Cheese sponsored the 96th Annual Fisherman's Feast in Boston's North End August 17-20, 2006. Mary Ann Esposito, star of PBS's Ciao Italia!, hosted the festival, which featured cooking demonstrations by area chefs and celebrities, including CSCA's Cesare (Chez) Casadei.

Cooking demonstrations, using Sorrento Cheeses, begin on Thursday, August 17 at 4pm in the Sorrento Cheese Wine and Cheese Tent on the corners of North and Fleet Streets in the North End. Chef Chez demonstrated Piadina Romagnola at 6:30pm in the Sorrento Cheese Tent on Friday, August 18. For the demonstration, Chez showed the audience the traditional method for making piadina, a classic flat bread from the republic of San Marino. Throughout the demo, Mary Ann interacted with Chez, asking him questions about the method, San Marino, and typical fillings for the piadina. Chez filled the Piadina Romagnola with Genoa salami, rosemary ham, prosciutto, Sorrento provolone and mozzarella, and tomatoes.

Other demonstrators were Joyce Della Chiesa, cookbook author; Paul Delios, Executive Chef of It's All Greek; Thomas J. Delledonne, special projects chef at Johnson & Wales University; Frank Gesualdi, executive chef of Davide Ristorante; Susannah Locketti, television chef for Publix grocery stores; Dwayne Miner & Kevin Madden, chef instructors in Boston University's culinary program; Adam Rosado, chef of Jules Catering; and the members of The Madonna del Soccorso Women's Society, composed of female descendants of fisherman from Sciacca, Sicily.

Since 1910, this North End Feast has celebrated the devotion of immigrant Sicilian fishermen to the Madonna del Soccorso di Sciacca (Our Lady of Help). Festivities began on August 17 with the procession of the Madonna through the streets of the North End to the Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park for the blessing of the Boston fishing waters. The festival included the cooking demonstrations, live music and entertainment, wine tasting, and a beer tent.

Chef Chez Casadei demonstrates piadina at the
96th Annual Fisherman's Feast sponsored by
Sorrento Cheese