Mason Fuller, Beckett Layman, and Ben Leavesley enjoy pasta. The Collegian | Jayden Jelso
Last year, the men of Niedfeldt Residence decided to make Italian pasta and meatballs from scratch, and since then, it’s become a dorm-wide tradition.
“I figured it would be fun for us to have an event where we could come together and have a meal,” junior Joseph DiPrima said. “We asked people in the dorm for a couple of dollars to get the ingredients, and then a bunch of people jumped in to help out with making it. The dorm started calling it ‘DiPasta,’ which I think is kind of funny.”
Niedfeldt didn’t come equipped with the tools to make pasta, so the residents had to improvise. This year, DiPrima, sophomore Isaac Vaillancourt, junior Jacob Fisher, and freshman Paul Restuccia were more prepared.
“Last year, we used water bottles as rolling pins, and that was wild,” DiPrima said. “But this year, Paul Restuccia brought a pasta maker, so that made it easier. This event is a great experience for me in terms of the service aspect as well, and it helped me gain more respect for my father, who’s a professional chef.”
DiPrima’s great-grandparents came to America from a little town in the mountains of Sicily called Bompietro.
“They have the typical Italian-American immigration story through Ellis Island, and they lived in New York,” DiPrima said. “Our family had our own restaurant called ‘DiPrima Dolce,’ which my dad was the head chef at, and before that he owned his own private cheffing company. I’m known as the Italian guy in Niedfeldt, and it’s really great to have the pasta event as a way of saying ‘Here’s something I’m sharing not only from my cultural background but also my family background.’”
DiPrima isn’t the only one in Niedfeldt with Italian heritage. Vaillancourt also has family ties to Sicily.
“The recipe I use for my meatballs is from my great grandma,” Vaillancourt said. “I received many compliments on those meatballs, and many people actually asked me for the recipe. However, I will not dishonor her in that way — may she rest in peace — and give up her recipe.”
Vaillancourt was DiPrima’s first recruit for last year’s event. After DiPrima announced his plan to make pasta for the dorm, Vaillancourt volunteered to make the meatballs.
“Cooking is so much fun because you get to share your food with other people,” Vaillancourt said. “I’m actually surprised at how many people chipped in on the price. Everyone wanted to eat some, and everyone really enjoyed it. We call it ‘DiPasta’ because Joseph does most of the work. Plus, ‘Vaillanmeatball’ doesn’t sound as good.”
Fisher, DiPrima’s freshman-year roommate, said this year’s batch of pasta was better than ever.
“We did both regular pasta and meatballs and also cacio e pepe, which is my favorite Italian dish,” Fisher said. “It’s basically adult mac and cheese. You take whole peppercorns and roast them in a pan until they pop, and then you crush them up. Then you mix the peppercorns with a little bit of pasta water, and then add in the pasta and cheese a little bit at a time.”
Along with DiPrima and Vaillancourt, Fisher also has Italian-American heritage.
“My family on my grandma’s side is all Italian. She’s 50% Italian and 50% Irish, so we love cooking,” Fisher said.
DiPrima said he loves using this event as an excuse to get together as a dorm.
“For centuries, people have gathered over meals, because it’s a great way to come together and share ourselves with each other,” he said. “It’s great for me to have the chance to give what I can to these people whom I love very much.”
Dining and Cooking