This story has been updated with new information.
The pandemic got in the way of many events. However, overwhelming demand has brought one classic Norwich event back.
The Taste of Italy returns to Howard T Brown Memorial Park on Sept. 6 from noon to 6 p.m. This year’s event will feature food from a dozen local Italian restaurants, including La Stella Pizzeria, Vocatura’s Bakery, Voc’s Westside Pizza, and Fornarelli’s from Colchester, Tracey Burto said.
The event is co-organized by the Norwich Italian Ladies Social Club and La Stella Restaurant, Burto, the club’s treasurer, announced in the Norwich Community Forum Facebook Group on Aug. 12.
Burto is awaiting more restaurants to confirm their attendance, and to get approval from the Norwich City Council to sell wine at the event, she said.
The planning is an ongoing process, La Stella Owner Justin Burrows said.
“We’re working night and day on it,” he said. “We’re putting the pieces together right this second.”
The past Taste of Italy events were organized by the Italian Heritage and Cultural Committee. However, the Cultural Committee is not involved in this event, and the Cultural Committee was not asked about the use of the Taste of Italy name, Cultural Committee member Frank Manfredi said.
However, Manfredi is supportive of someone organizing events similar to what the Italian Heritage and Cultural Committee used to organize, he said.
“I think if somebody can do it, it’s great,” Manfredi said.
Why is the Taste of Italy back?
The last Taste of Italy was held in 2019. The pandemic in 2020 halted Taste of Italy. Despite this, there’s been “an outpouring of love,” Burto said.
“Everybody misses the Taste of Italy,” she said. “It’s been a constant thing. People keep DMing us, wanting us to bring it back.”
Norwich residents were glad to hear this, as Burto’s post got over 100 likes in the first hour.“We’re already getting excitement,” Burto said.
This year’s Taste of Italy is smaller than in the past, but Taste of Italy will be larger and back to two days next year.
“This year, since we don’t have enough time (to organize) the two-day fest, it’s going to be what you remember, but just in a smaller scale,” Burto said.
Despite the smaller event, Burrows is conservatively expecting 5,000 people to attend the festival, he said.
“In it’s heyday, it was 14,000 attending,” he said.
What will be at Taste of Italy?
While there will be multiple local Italian restaurants, dishes at the event will highlight different regions of Italy. For example, La Stella will make Arancini, a fried risotto ball typically found in Sicily, and the Ladies Social Club will make pizzelle, a cookie hailing from Abruzzo, Burrows said.
Beyond food, the event will feature Italian merchandise and arts and crafts, Burto said.
Looking forward
As the Taste of Italy was an event that ran for nearly 30 years, it’s a “fun and nostalgic celebration of our culture,” for Norwich’s Italian-American community, Burrows said.
“Our culture is all about love, and it’s all about amazing food cooked with love,” he said.
“People have brought their children and their children’s children, so it’s a tradition we want to keep going,” Burto added.
If you haven’t been to Taste of Italy yet “you’re in for a treat, and we hope you like it,” Burto said.
Dining and Cooking