By Donna Cornelius
Donna Francavilla’s Greystone home turned into a bakery on March 12.
Friends and fellow church members from Saint Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church became chefs for a day to make traditional Italian cookies called pizzelles for the church’s annual Feast of Saint Mark, set this year for April 30.
During the party, volunteer bakers of almost all ages turned out to operate mixers, bake the cookies and then bag and tag them. A group at Francavilla’s kitchen table used cookie presses, which are similar to waffle irons, to give the cookies their distinct snowflake-like pattern.
Francavilla, an award-winning journalist who owns Frankly Speaking Communications, said she loves making pizzelles.
“I always make them during the holidays,” she said. “They’re a light cookie and not too sugary or sweet. But they’re just one type of many cookies baked by Italians. We’ll have tables and tables of different cookies at the feast.”
There will be no shortage of other foods during the feast, to be held at the church, including old and new Italian favorites and an on-site oven for baking pizzas. Chef Chris Vizzina will make the feast’s main course. In the “Piazza di San Marco,” restaurants and specialty food vendors including Papa John’s Pizza, Arnone’s Italian Sausage, Mr. P’s Butcher Shop and Deli, Graffeo Brothers Sausage, Amore Ristorante Italiano, Bare Naked Noodles, Joe’s Italian Pizza, Pasta & Caffe and Bellini’s Ristorante will provide plenty of good things to eat.
While no one is likely to leave hungry, the Feast of Saint Mark is about more than food, said Robert Sbrissa, who started the event five years ago. When he and his wife, Monica, moved to Birmingham from Montreal in 1996, they were surprised to learn that the city had no Italian festivals, he said. His family is Italian on both sides, and he grew up in an Italian-speaking community.
“I’d see Greek festivals, Lebanese festivals here in Birmingham, and we met so many people with Italian surnames,” Sbrissa said. “Many friends told me they remembered events in Birmingham that were held when they were children – the Columbus Day festival, Roma Club events.
“I said, why don’t we do a feast? Saint Mark, our parish, was looking for an event to establish our identity. We approached Italian-owned businesses, and they jumped at the chance to participate.”
Feast, not festival, is the correct term for the event, Sbrissa said.
“We’ve created a feast around Mark the Evangelist, whose feast day is April 25,” he said. “It’s about faith, family, food and fun.”
Joining in the fun of the pizzelle-making party was Sbrissa’s daughter, Caraline. The 20-year-old University of Alabama student said she likes contributing to the feast by volunteering.
“A couple of my friends have come to the feast every year, and that’s the goal of my parents – to let people see the traditions and see what’s important to them,” she said.
Monica Sbrissa, said the first feast was “pulled off in about six weeks.”
“We had about 1,600 people come the first year,” she said. “Now, we have 3,000 every year.”
The feast is a real community event, she said.
“It’s a celebration, like going to a big Italian wedding,” she said. “We’ll have seating for 750, wine, cookies, cappuccino and gelato. You’ll see three or four generations having fun together.”
The feast, which usually sells out, raises money for the church and the charities it supports. It starts at 3:30 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m. The church is at 7340 Cahaba Valley Road in Birmingham.
The event includes bocce ball games, an Italian market and feast souvenirs for sale. There are children’s activities, including rides and crafts. Benchmark Automotive Group is bringing Italian cars to the event, too.
Entertainment on the event’s main stage stars at 4:30 p.m. Among the performers this year are the Razz Ma Tazz band, Total A$$et$ band, former Miss Alabama Amanda Tapley and dancers. A Franki Valli tribute is at 6:30 p.m.
A special event has been added this year to celebrate the feast’s fifth anniversary.
“We’re having a beautiful fireworks show, synchronized to the best Italian opera,” Robert Sbrissa said.
Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for ages 6 to 12. There’s no admission charge for ages 5 and younger. For tickets, visit www.feastofstmark.com/tickets.
More information about the feast is on the website and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Sbrissa said the feast is an opportunity for his own children – and other families – to experience what he grew up with.
“The whole idea is for it to be a multi-generational gathering,” he said. “That’s the cornerstone of the feast. You’ll have children, parents and grandparents all together.”
Sbrissa is looking forward to welcoming a special guest to the feast.
“This is the first year my 87-year-old father, Phil Sbrissa, from Montreal is getting to come,” he said. “For him, it will be pretty emotional – a validation of our culture. We’ll sit together and watch the fireworks. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
