It is certainly not every day that families host get-togethers that involve the meeting of about 200 relatives using rented facilities. But such was the case last weekend as members of the DeFazio, Arcuri and Pane families – who are all descendants of immigrants from Castanga in the Calabria region of Italy – gathered together in East Sacramento for the 14th annual Calabrese Picnic.

On a picture perfect, sunny and mild weather day, these family members arrived at East Portal Park at 51st and M streets in East Sacramento to continue their tradition of enjoying each others’ company, sharing family memories and preserving their Italian heritage and culture.

For those familiar with the history of Italians in East Sacramento, the site of this event, which was held on Sunday, Oct. 10, made perfect sense.

After all, the park site had for many years served as the playground for those living in the now-historic “Little Italy” section of the city, which is roughly located from 48th to 58th streets between H Street and Folsom Boulevard.

For many people who unexpectedly passed by the park on this day, the gathering likely must have had the appearance of a community event, as opposed to a family affair.

But those attending the event knew better, as they were well aware of the many large, immediate, local families with the last names of DeFazio, Pane and Arcuri, as well as other families with last names directly linked to these three family surnames.

As opposed to plates mainly filled with traditional American picnic staples such as hamburgers, hotdogs and macaroni and potato salads, most plates at the event featured homemade foods such as chicken cacciatore, sausage and peppers, pastas, meatballs, risotto and Italian salads.

Although the event was very much an Italian gathering, there were various exceptions to this theme.

A prime example of how the DeFazio, Pane and Arcuri families have blended with other cultures can be seen through the potluck, which included some non-Italian food, including the most dominant of these offerings: pork and nopales (edible cactus), which is a Mexican dish.

Throughout the day, a friendly competition of bocce ball – an historic sport most closely related to lawn bowling and popularized in Italy many years ago – was played on the park’s bocce ball courts.

After about five hours, the tournament was completed, with the winners being Mark and Vickie DeFazio.

Bill DeFazio, one of the tournament’s coordinators, said that the tournament is a great way to bring the families together at the event.

Since the annual picnic is in its 14th year, Bill, a Sacramento native who graduated from Jesuit High School in 1967, said that it is important to recognize the people who founded the event.

“(My first cousins) Mark and Steve (DeFazio) were the original organizers (of the tournament). No question about it,” said Bill, who is the oldest of the DeFazio grandchildren. “So, Mark and Steve really deserve the lion’s share of doing this thing.”

Bill added that the event, which is held on the Sunday closest to Columbus Day, stemmed from the DeFazio family’s occasional tradition of getting together “every so often.”

“(The event’s roots dates back to about) 40 years ago, but it was never an annual event,” Bill said. “Somebody would just say, ‘We’re all going to go out. Let’s just all try to get together.’”

During its initial years, the annual event was held at William Land Park and featured a golf tournament, followed by a picnic.

When asked to share his feelings about the importance of holding the annual picnic, Bill said, “It’s huge for our families – the DeFazios, the Panes and the Acuris – to keep the tradition going, because we’re old-time Italian families in Sacramento and we’ve lived basically in the same area for probably 100 years, for the most part.”

Margaret (DeFazio) Jacobs, Rose Marie Pane and Louise (Arcuri) Schultz, a trio of the matriarchs of the three families, shared portions of their family histories for this article.

Passionately relating her family history, Margaret (DeFazio) Jacobs said that her grandparents, Joe and Bernadina (Piccoli) DeFazio, were the first members of her family to immigrate to the United States.

After settling in New York, Joe and Bernadina moved to East Sacramento in 1914.

Joe and Bernadina’s son, Louis DeFazio, who was Jacob’s father, married Christine Talerico on Feb. 24, 1924 in Utica, N.Y.

After moving to East Sacramento, Louis DeFazio became well-known for his grocery stores in such places as East Sacramento, Florin, Sloughhouse and West Sacramento.

Early immigrants of the Pane family to arrive in America were Rose Marie Pane’s grandparents, Giuseppi and Rosa Maria (Arcuri) Pane, and her great uncle and great aunt, Antonio and Malana (Mancuso) Pane.

A unique trivia of these couples is the fact that Giuseppi and Rosa Maria had seven boys and one girl and Antonio and Malana had seven girls and one boy.

Rose Marie, who resides in her family home that was built in East Sacramento in about 1935, said that another interesting part of this family trivia is that one of Giuseppi and Rosa Maria’s sons and one of Antonio and Malana’s daughters passed away in their childhood within months of each other.

Additionally, Ronnie Pane, who is a first cousin to Rose Marie, said that these children were the youngest born to each family.

Today, Rosie “Doty” Taylor, who is in her mid-90s, is the only survivor of these 16 children.

Schultz said that her uncle Joe Arcuri and her aunt Elvira (Massoni) Arcuri first arrived in America in the early 1900s. The couple soon traveled from New York to Roseville, where they had three sons and three daughters.

Joe Arcuri supported his family through his employment as a railroad worker in Roseville.

Shortly after the arrivals of Joe and Elvira Arcuri, who emigrated from Italy at separate times, Schultz’s father, Louis Arcuri, immigrated to the United States with his sister, Rosina Arcuri.

After coming to Sacramento in 1916, Louis Arcuri married Margaret DeFazio.

And following the death of Margaret, Louis Arcuri married Ellen Margaret Harris in 1928 and moved to Elk Grove.

Altogether Louis Arcuri, who worked various jobs, including his work as a taxi cab driver, laundry and hotel worker and used car and tire garage owner and operator, had 12 children.

Schultz, a 1949 graduate of Elk Grove High School, said that she appreciates the picnic’s ability to maintain her family’s history and heritage.

“(The picnic) keeps our family together and keeps our heritage up for our children,” Schultz said. “It’s through us that they learn about their heritage. We talk to them and tell them about their family, so they won’t forget where they come from.”

Although some attendees of the picnic expressed their concerns regarding the future existence of the event, 12-year-old Marissa DeFazio, the daughter of Steve and Sheri DeFazio, is among those of the younger generation who are dedicated to continuing the annual gathering.

“(The event) is really important to me and I learn a lot about my family history (at the picnic),” Marisa said. “It’s really fun. I would want to keep (the event) going (in the future).”

lance@valcomnews.com

When displaced New Yorkers walk through the door of Giovanni’s Old World New York Pizzeria in East Sacramento for the first time, it is not uncommon for them to stop dead in their tracks, inhale deeply and then reach in their pockets for their cell phones.

“Mom, I’ve found pizza.”

This reaction does not surprise John Ruffaine, co-owner of Giovanni’s, in the least. It is something he has come to expect, and to reflect upon with pride as a native of Bedside, Brooklyn himself.

“I’ve had people literally cry at my counter because they were so happy,” he said. “They walk in the door, and they know they’ve found a taste of home. They can tell just from the smell.”

The sign on the building says “New York” pizza, and that is what John prepares for his customers every day. He is committed to providing Sacramento’s pizza lovers with the “real deal.”

“This is real Italian pepperoni,” he said as he prepared a pizza pie. “And this is real mozzarella from New York. We don’t throw dough here – we stretch it. Those guys who throw dough around aren’t authentic. Nobody in New York or Italy does that.”

John so enjoys making pizzas that customers sometimes laughingly accuse him of not wanting to hand it over to them. He seems to work with a perpetual smile on his face as he crafts each pizza. He is passionate about producing a pizza that is as New York as possible. He was taught by those in the know, in the Italian neighborhoods of New York. The recipes are Old World Italian.

“I made my first pizza when I was eight years old,” he said. “I was helping my mom in the kitchen. Old time Italians taught me, if you made a mistake you got more than just a payment – if you know what I mean.”

John with his wife, Jenny, and Carlo and Allison Grifone founded Giovanni’s in 2001.

“We’re two Italian American families, and our families are from Salerno, Sicily and Calabra,” he said. “A lot of what’s on our menu is inspired from Southern Italy – it’s actually what they use in their pizza. We don’t use any enhancers. What you are getting is genuine flavor and texture. We use only the finest ingredients. If it’s not made from scratch, it’s imported from Italy or New York.”

Sizes are larger than what most Sacramento residents are used to seeing. A large at Giovanni’s is a generous 16 inches across – a good value for a hungry family.

A standard Pizza Pie is made with Giovanni’s tomato sauce, mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil and spices (Large, $17.95). The Little Italy is generously topped with meatballs, ricotta, garlic and spices ($11.95 for small, up to $24.75 for large).

Specialty pizzas are featured every three weeks.

“The specials focus on different regions of Italy,” John said. “Those are true Neapolitan pizzas.”

Customers can’t get enough – they are tremendously loyal.

“My mother is from New York and I’ve been out there lots of times. This is the closest thing around here to a real New York pizza,” said Tony Brown, Sacramento resident and loyal customer. “Not to mention, I like the customer service. John treats you real well.”

The pizzeria is large and spacious – intended for families and community gatherings.

“This is where baseball teams come after the game,” John said. “It’s where families gather. It’s where a kid can get his first job and bring his first date. And I’ve seen that happen a lot in the last nine years.”

“Giovanni” is Italian for John. His name, quite literally, is on the building. He is also known for his support of local schools and charities. Many a Giovanni’s pizza has raised funds for a worthy cause.

“There’s a lot of action behind what I do,” John said. “My name is on the building. I care about this business and the community. We help everyone in the community. Those kids are the future.”

Giovanni’s Old World New York Pizzeria is located at 6200 Folsom Boulevard in Sacramento. A second location is at 5924 South Land Park Drive in Sacramento. Visit www.giosnypizza.com and their page on Facebook.

susan@valcomnews.com

One of the restaurant gems in Land Park is a little “hole in the wall” place – a Neapolitan pizzeria called Masullo. Located on Riverside Boulevard, just across from the historic Masonic cemetery, this local restaurant is building a reputation for quality food, served quickly and with fresh, local ingredients.

Owner/chef Robert Masullo opened the restaurant in June of 2008. The building is from the late 1940s, and Robert chose to go with a “mid-century modern” design palate of concrete, steel and wood “to jive with the era of the building.” All the wood on the one-of-a-kind tables is from one tree in Sacramento.

“I opened (the pizzeria) because it’s just something I like,” Robert said. “My family took a vacation to Italy in 1987. I was amazed at how something I thought I knew – pizza – could be so incredibly different.”

Vive la differenza

American pizza is often heavy, with thick sauces, heavy toppings and baked in a commercial oven. Authentic Neapolitan pizza is baked in a wood-fired oven, has a thin crust, light sauces and fresh toppings that can include goat cheese, prosciutto and more.

The authentic taste of Italy begins with the dough for each pizza pie, according to Robert.

“The dough is mixed two days in advance and is refrigerated,” he said. “The longer and slower the ferment of the yeast is, the more the naturally occurring enzymes have time to develop and that’s where the good flavors come from.”

Pizzas are made to serve one person, and come in two varieties: with tomato sauce and without. Whether you are a tomato sauce lover or not, there is something for everyone on the menu.

For the traditionalist, there is the “American” ($12) which features tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni.

For those who want to try something a bit more adventurous (and delicious), try the “Kathryn” ($13), which features tomato sauce, Fontina cheese, Noman Ranch ham, red Fresno chili peppers and Crimini mushrooms. The “Jacqueline” ($14) is served without tomato sauce, and features potatoes, Fontina cheese, Niman Ranch bacon and oregano.

Meat lovers should enjoy Masullo’s “3Meat” pizza ($15), which features tomato sauce, mozzarella, Bellwether Farms ricotta cheese, Fra’Mani Toscano salame, sausage and Mortadella mushrooms.

All of the pizzas and salads at Masullo use award-winning Frate Sole extra virgin olive oil. This olive oil is estate grown, hand-harvested and cold-pressed in Woodland. It is a delightful dipping accompaniment to the pizza for an extra $2.

Everything at Masullo is fresh, local and organic whenever possible. Pizzas bake quickly in the brick oven and are served promptly to hungry guests. A lunch menu has just been added to the regular dinner menu. It will feature soups, salads, sandwiches and a select group of pizzas.

“We strive to keep things straight-forward and simple, not complicated,” Robert said. “Our focus is on quality.”

Masullo is located at 2711 Riverside Boulevard in Sacramento. Limited parking is available, it is often best to park “around the corner.” Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday; 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday; and closed, Sunday. For more information, call (916) 443-8929.

It has often been said that the first year in business is always the most challenging and many upstart businesses never survive their first year. But of course, longtime Sacramentan Randy Paragary has no firsthand experience of what it is like to have a business not excel past its first year.

To the contrary, Randy has built a strong legacy in this city as a man who has had four decades of success in the bar and restaurant industry.

And sitting down in one of his successful businesses, Café Bernardo at 2726 Capitol Ave., last week, Randy discussed his long business career in the capital city.

The early years

A 1964 graduate of McClatchy High School, Randy moved to Sacramento during his childhood.

Randy, 63, began attending the fourth grade at Woodlake Elementary School while residing in a two-bedroom, one-bathroom duplex at 424 Baxter Ave. with his parents, Sam and Charmaine Paragary, and his brother, Bruce Paragary.

When he was about 14 years old, Randy moved to South Land Park and began attending California Junior High School and later McClatchy High School.

First jobs

During his high school years, Randy obtained his first two jobs, the first of which was at Tuolumne County’s Pinecrest Lodge, which was located about 30 miles above Sonora.

Randy said that his work at Pinecrest, where his father was the manager, was a summer job in which he worked as a dishwasher and busboy.

It was also during his time at McClatchy High that Randy was hired as a busboy at Bill Christie’s Elbo Room at 2000 K Street, where Faces nightclub is now located.

Randy said that his time at the Elbo Room proved to be some of his best early training in the restaurant industry.

“I worked there (at the Elbo Room) as a busboy for two years while I was going to high school,” Randy said. “I would get out of school and drive there and do my three or four shifts per week. So, that’s really where I got my first taste of the restaurant business. That was a very happening, very popular restaurant in its day. It had a lot of diners and a good bar scene and I really enjoyed it.”

The Parapow Palace Saloon

At the age of 23, Randy decided to use his experience in the restaurant and bar business to establish his own business.

On Nov. 8, 1969, Randy and his high school friend, Pat Powers, opened the Parapow Palace Saloon at 3000 O St.

Recalling the process of establishing the tavern, Randy said that it was opened for the purpose of filling a void in the local music scene.

“Pat Powers and I were really good friends and like friendship conversations go, he said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to open a bar. There’s no place for us to go to have the music we like to hear.’ The (music) scene was bowling alley types of bars. I said, ‘Well, we can open a place. Shoot, I’ve been a busboy before. I know a little bit about it.’ And Pat said, ‘We can do it.’”

Opting to keep their business simple, as well as lower their establishment’s operating costs, Randy and Pat decided to maintain a beer-only bar.

While searching for a location for their business, it came to Randy and Pat’s attention that the old Ritz Market site at 3000 O St. had become vacant.

After negotiating an arrangement to lease the site, Randy and Pat began the process of preparing their business for its opening.

“We had to go through the whole process of opening a business, beginning with a lease,” Randy said. “We went to Alcohol Beverage Control and applied for a liquor license and went to the IRS and got a federal ID number, so we could have employees and then we got our business license. Then it came time to get a set of plans together, so we could get a building permit to go do the plumbing and wiring. We then approached the beer companies and established credit. It’s exactly the same process that I go through today to open a place. It was a fantastic apprenticeship.”

Randy said that the Parapow Palace, which had a western theme with woodwork from old barns and maintained the Sunlamp Blues Band as its house band, proved to be a success, as it provided a much-needed, local entertainment venue during this era.

“There was such a pent-up demand from our peers – guys, girls our age who were looking for a hippie-type of place to go – that we really filled a void,” Randy said. “The word got out really quickly, so it was super popular.”

Law school

No longer associated with the Parapow, which was sold in 1972, Randy attended McGeorge School of Law, where he passed the bar in 1976.

Restauranteur

A year earlier, Randy, along with a different business partner Jim Moore, opened an Italian restaurant, called The Arbor, at 2730 N St.

Fitting to its name, the restaurant, which became the Capitol Grille in 1990, featured a redwood, butcher-style interior.

It was also during 1975 that Randy added a building across the street from The Arbor to his business endeavors. Within this building, which is located at 1401 28th St., Randy and Jim opened a bar, known as Lord Beaverbrook.

Today, many locals are familiar with this site, which has been the location of the popular Paragary’s Bar and Oven since 1983.

In 1978, a second Lord Beaverbrook bar was opened at 2384 Fair Oaks Blvd., where Zito’s Italian restaurant opened in 1985 and where the Zinfandel Grille operates today.

From 1980 to 1983, Randy owned Harry’s Bar and Grill at 400 L St., where the 4th Street Grill is presently located.

To some people in the community, it may seem as if Randy opens a new business on an annual basis.

Although this is not the case, such a thought does not lie far from the truth.

Frequently continuing to provide food and beverage establishments in the Sacramento area, Randy opened the aforementioned Café Bernardo midtown location in 1993, Centro Cocina Mexicana at 2730 J St. in 1994, another Café Bernardo location at 234 D St. in Davis in 1995, the Monkey Bar at 2730 Capitol Ave. in 1997 and Esquire Grille at 1213 K St. in 1999.

Continuing to open businesses during this century, Randy opened Spataro Restaurant and Bar at 1415 L St. in 2004, a third Café Bernardo and the R15 Bar in the R Street Corridor area at 15^th and R streets in 2007 and Cosmo Café at 1000 K St. in 2008.

Randy, who enjoys snow skiing, water skiing, playing golf and tennis, traveling and increasing his knowledge about food and wines, said that with the economy the way it is today, he has no plans to add other businesses anytime soon.

In the meantime, Randy, who resides in the Sierra Oaks area of the city and has a wife named Stacy and two children, Lisa and Sam, said that he will instead concentrate on improving upon the businesses which he currently owns.

Industry mentor

Looking back on his four decades as a business owner in the bar and restaurant industry, Randy said that he is proud of his many accomplishments, which include providing the training grounds for employees who later established their own successful businesses.

“Over the years, there’s really a great list of committed, passionate people who have worked for me who now own their own places – guys like (The Waterboy restaurant owner) Rick Mahan and Patrick Mulvaney, who owns Mulvaney’s (B&L restaurant),” Randy said. “And I can’t leave out Kurt Spataro. He’s the executive chef of all of these restaurants and has great skills in both the cooking and administrative parts of being a chef. But the city is loaded with chefs and general managers who have worked for me who are now either owners of their own places or are in upper level management in Sacramento or other cities.”

Randy, who mentioned that he has been inspired by such people as restaurant owners and chefs Alice Waters and Biba Caggiano and Corti Bros. Italian grocery store co-owner Darrell Corti, said that although 40 years have passed since he opened his first business, he continues to be passionate about his work.

“The never-ending search for cool concepts and menus is the exciting part of it,” Randy said. “That’s what has enabled me to get the inspiration for continued growth. It’s a lot of fun taking a space and converting it into something really exciting.”

And based on his continued success and the support of his businesses’ many loyal customers, Randy should be at the forefront of the local bar and restaurant scene for many more years to come.

lance@valcomnews.com

When it comes to Sacramento history, few places in the city have such a rich heritage as the Español Restaurant.

To the average commuter, this East Sacramento eatery’s historic building and its accompanying old neon sign have the appearance of a business that has stood the test of time.

Although such an impression is undoubtedly correct, the historic building and sign represent only a part of this restaurant’s rich past.

With a few steps inside this old building at 5723 Folsom Blvd., which was built in 1946 as the new home of the Square Deal Café, one can observe a business that is swarming with history.

Immediately inside the front doors of the place, black and white photographs of days of old begin to tell the story of a business that began long before it opened at its current site in 1965.

Hanging on the walls of the lobby area, which is an addition to the original structure, are photographs of the business’s previous site at 231 I St., as well as other images such as photographs of members of the Luigi family. The business is currently owned by Perry Luigi, Paula (Luigi) Serrano and Karen (Luigi) Zito, whose father Frank “Babe” Luigi and uncle Mario Luigi previously owned the business.

The longtime tradition of the restaurant, however, began long before Babe and Mario purchased the business in 1959.

The restaurant, in fact, was established in an even earlier location than the 2nd and I streets site, near today’s historic Southern Pacific train depot.

 

Español of yesteryear

During the 19th century, the city was home to many hotels such as the Pacific Hotel at 916-918 11th St., the International Hotel at 320-326 K St. and the Tremont Hotel at 112-114 J St.

At the site of the Tremont Hotel, a new hotel, known as Hotel Español, emerged as early as 1919.

The Hotel Español, which was primarily operated as a Basque boarding house, was initially home to sheepherders who were hired out to local ranchers.

It was at this hotel, which in its early years was owned by Victoriano Urrutia and then Castro Arrate and Mamerto Fernandez, that the Español Restaurant began to evolve.

On the ground floor of the large, brick building, food such as oxtail stew, pig knuckles, lamb fries, lamb chops, tripe, chicken and veal were prepared and cooked for the Basque tenants.

News of these meals eventually made its way to many outsiders of the building, as others were introduced to the boarders’ food and the eatery increased in popularity.

During the early 1930s, the well-known Sacramentan Ancil Hoffman, who has a park named in his honor in Carmichael, became the owner of the building.

With the 1952 sale of the Hotel Español building, the Español Restaurant was relocated to the Commercial Hotel, which had been constructed about 15 years earlier.

This move was arranged following Arrate’s retirement and under the direction of the restaurant’s chef Joe Trueba and his close friend, Joe Martinez.

The restaurant, which continued to increase in popularity and serve Basque tenants who relocated to the Commercial Hotel, was operated by Trueba and Martinez until the business’s sale to Babe and Mario Luigi, who brought in the eatery’s Italian food offerings.

The development of Old Sacramento, which included the nearby extension of Interstate 5, resulted in the second relocation of the restaurant within a 13-year span of time.

 

Moving to East Sac

Opening at its current site in 1965, the Español Restaurant, despite no longer serving unique food to Basque hotel tenants, carried forth many of its traditions in East Sacramento, near the historic Little Italy neighborhood.

Among these traditions included the presence of the popular waitress Mary Trabazo, who worked at all three sites of the restaurant.

Beginning her career with the Español in 1936, Trabazo retired from the restaurant 52 years later.

Waitress Leah Alcanter also dedicated her fair share of time as an Español waitress, as she worked at the restaurant for 35 years.

Many other employees, including 26-year waitress Diane Lara and 25-year dishwasher David Larsen, have spent many years at the restaurant throughout its history.

This history includes various famous diners such as actress Ann Sothern, actor Leo Carrillo, singer Frankie Laine, boxer Max Baer, flamenco dancer Jose Greco, Gov. Earl Warren and Secretary of State Frank Jordan, Sr.

East Sacramento native Willie DaPrato, who was part owner of the restaurant with Babe and Mario from 1978 to 1985, said that he enjoyed working with the Luigi family.

“I had a great time and (Babe and Mario) were two wonderful people,” DaPrato said. “I had no problems. I went in on a handshake and I left on a handshake. Every now and again, I still drop into the restaurant. It’s one of the finest family-owned restaurants in town with lots of home-style cooked food and it’s just very good.”

On Jan 1, 1988, Perry, Paula and Karen, who began assisting their father at the restaurant as children, purchased the Español from Babe, who passed away three months later.

Louise Luigi said that she is proud of her children’s accomplishments as owners of the restaurant.

“They have done a wonderful job running the place and my husband (Babe) would be very proud to see that it is continuing on today,” Louise said.

With a look around the Español on any given day, one can observe people who have been dining at the restaurant for many years, as well as those who are much newer guests of the establishment, which also includes a popular bar.

 

Rave reviews

Español customer Mary Giacomotto said that she has been enjoying visiting the restaurant since it was located at 231 I St.

“In the old days, it was wonderful just going (to the restaurant) with our parents and (Rosemary and Ted Lehy) and their children,” Giacomotto said. “It was very family-oriented and we would sit and have (soup) and wait for our parents to return from the bar. I also remember how my father (John Bateman) would start to sing there (at the restaurant) and then we would all sing and everybody around us would sing. Those were wonderful, wonderful times.”

Perry said that the secret of the restaurant’s longtime success is its traditional, family-style Italian dishes, as well as its great value and fine service.

The Español offers dishes ranging from veal cutlets and chicken cacciatore with polenta to cheese ravioli pesto and lasagna. Guests can also enjoy traditional spaghetti and raviolis with meat sauce.

Also among the restaurant’s many menu items is its famous minestrone soup, Perry explained.

“People come from miles around to buy our minestrone soup-to-go for their dinners and family functions such as Christmas Eve,” Perry said. “I think I sell more soup than any restaurant in Sacramento.”

Complete lunches and dinners include tureen of minestrone soup, salad, an entrée of one’s choice, pasta, vegetables, coffee or iced tea and spumoni.

Prices for these lunches range from $9 to $11 and the dinner prices range from $15 to $20. And for those who prefer a lighter meal, soups and salads cost about $5.

The restaurant also includes the following daily specials: roast turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy on Tuesdays, veal stew on Wednesdays, corned beef and cabbage on Thursdays and meatloaf on Fridays.

Paula said that people are attracted to the restaurant, in general, because it reminds them of the traditional, family-style restaurants of New York, Chicago and San Francisco.

“It reminds them of the Godfather-type restaurants,” Perry added with a chuckle.

Español Restaurant, which has a seating capacity of 160, is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Perry said that he takes great pride in carrying forth the tradition of what he refers to as “the Italian restaurant with a Spanish name.”

“We’re proud of our long history in East Sacramento, as well as the Old Sacramento area, and we invite people to take a step back in time and drive to East Sacramento to enjoy Sacramento’s oldest restaurant,” Perry said. “Come on in, join us and experience traditional, family-style cooking and be part of the Español family.”

For additional information about Español Restaurant, call (916) 457-1936.

 

E-mail Lance with lance@valcomnews.com.

Among the premier historic landmarks of the East Sacramento area is East Portal Park and just about anyone who knows about this neighborhood park is familiar with its bocce ball courts.

As the centerpiece of the park, which has deep Italian roots, are the courts, which on just about any given afternoon or evening are occupied by groups of people engrossed in the game, which brings out heavy doses of both competitive spirit and camaraderie.

Originally connected to the rich Italian culture of East Sacramento’s historic Little Italy neighborhood, the game initially drew only men of Italian descent.

But despite continuing to draw about 45 percent Italian players to the courts, the sport is more closely a representation of the diversity of the community.

No longer is it a men-only sport and the East Portal Bocce Club, which is part of the United State Bocce Federation, consists of members with heritage from throughout the globe.

This decision to allow women and non-Italians to join the club was initiated in 1991 through the club’s then-president Vic Cima.

As a result of this decision, many new faces joined the club and became educated about bocce ball, which is believed to have been derived from a more primitive Egyptian version of the sport.

 

The first bocce clubs

Popularized in Italy, where the first bocce clubs in modern times were established, the game, which is generally played in groups of two or four and most closely related to lawn bowling, was brought to the United States by Italian immigrants who came to America in masses during the turn of the 20th century.

Originally played in Sacramento at Southside Park as early as the 1930s, the sport has been a staple of East Portal Park since its opening in about the early 1940s.

Although bocce has been played at East Portal Park since the park’s early years, it was not until the early 1970s that the club was founded under the direction of Tony Peretti.

As a proud Italian, American and war veteran, Peretti founded the East Portal Bocce Club Fourth of July Tournament, which continues to be held each year and begins with the Pledge of Allegiance and the playing of the “Star Spangled Banner.”

The club hit one of its lowest points during the beginning of its second decade, as membership dropped by about 50 percent.

This decline in membership was not indicative of the popularity of the sport, however, as is evident by a joke among members at the time that the club had “too many visitors at Nicoletti’s” – the funeral home at 5401 Folsom Blvd.

In response to the club’s membership woes, Cima recruited new members from the Piemonte Reale Benevolent Society, where he was serving as president.

Cima’s inclusion of women and people of other cultures proved to be the biggest turnaround for the club, which grew to more than 150 members by the late 1990s and now consists of about 260 members of which about 80 are female.

Additionally, membership of the club ranges from about 20 years old to 93 years old and the average age of its members is 65 years old.

 

Diversity and depth

East Portal Bocce Club President Bob Martinez is a prime example of the diversity of the club.

Martinez, who is an East Sacramento resident of Mexican heritage, was first introduced to the game while vacationing with his wife in Monterey.

“We were staying by the Presidio right there by the wharf and it just so happens that in the Presidio itself there are three bocce courts and so I was kind of watching these guys playing bocce,” Martinez said. “The Sicilians were coming off the fishing boats in the late afternoon and they were playing the Mexican restaurant workers from the (nearby) restaurants. They invited me to play and I just rolled a few balls and I just got really interested in (the sport).”

A friend of Martinez later invited him to the East Portal Park courts, where he became more acquainted with the game and soon afterward joined the club.

Although each member of the club is proud of their own particular heritage, Martinez said that those who become involved in the game of bocce ball join an intimate group of people who are like a big Italian family.

“Once you (get involved with bocce ball), everyone starts recognizing you and you feel a part of something much bigger,” Martinez said. “It’s like an extended family and everybody’s Italian when you start playing bocce.”

Martinez, who joined the club seven years ago, said that although bocce ball is a very simple game to learn, it is undeniably a very challenging sport.

“A lot of people know this and it’s like (one of the club’s members) Chito (Negri) said, ‘It takes about 20 minutes to learn bocce, but it takes a lifetime to learn the strategy.’ And it’s true. It’s a simple game that’s easy to learn, but it can be very complex to learn in terms of strategy and that strategy is what’s endearing and creates kind of this opportunity for exchange in banter. So, I would say that anyone who is interested in learning something that is not all that difficult to learn the rules of (would likely) enjoy this game. You can be as good as you want to be. All you have to do is stay with it and the more you’re with it, the more you realize all the nuances that are associated with this game and the people and the camaraderie. It’s great.”

 

Mr. Bocce Ball

Poggio, Italy native Dante Urbani, 77, who is known as “Mr. Bocce Ball,” said that he is very aware of the strategy of the game.

“There’s a lot of strategy,” said Urbani, who grew up with the sport and joined the local club 10 years ago. “You have to have a lot of finesse and you have to be convinced that you are better than everybody and that gives you more of an edge. You have to have a lot of confidence, but I think that people should just have that in general in life and feel secure about things.”

Another member of the club, 84-year-old Ottavio Luchini, said that his memories of bocce date back to about 1935 when he used to play the game in his native town of Massarosa, Italy, near Lucca, with his childhood friends, Basilio, Renio, Filippo, Sandrino and several others.

“When I was in Italy, we used to play with rocks on the dirt, because we didn’t have any balls or courts,” Luchini said.

Although he first arrived in Sacramento on Feb. 4, 1949, Luchini said that he has only been playing bocce in the capital city since about 2000, since he was a longtime card player at the Dante Club.

 

Known nationwide

The East Portal Bocce Club is far from just a community story as the organization has gained much recognition as a premier club throughout the nation.

And being a premier Northern California club is alone quite notable, considering that the majority of the nation’s bocce clubs are located in Northern California.

Hanging from the wooden rooftop that covers a pair of the East Portal Park’s four courts is a banner, which celebrates the 2004 USBF B-bracket national champions, which was won by a team consisting of Jim Fellos, David Zaffa, Jack Roupp and Jack Toige.

With efforts being made to add bocce to the sports of the Summer Olympics, the club hopes to have a few of its members become Olympians, including Vern Cooper, who is currently ranked No. 10 in the United States.

Cooper, who is working toward his goal of participating in the World Bocce Championships, is also a certified world bocce referee.

Martinez said that he enjoys being a part of the rich tradition of bocce ball at East Portal Park.

“It really is something that’s community affirming and I’m very much committed to the East Sacramento community and to me, bocce is very much a part of its lifeblood,” Martinez said. “It sustains and enhances the community and it brings that cultural vitality and to me, that’s what makes it so special. And also, I just love playing it, so anything I can do to encourage others to play, I want to do it.”

And encourage, he does, as Martinez said that he always advocates new membership in the club.

With league play occurring every Monday through Thursday from the spring through the fall, Martinez noted that generally the best time for newcomers to visit the courts is on the weekends.

“There is always somebody down here on the weekends who is willing to talk to people about the club,” Martinez said.

Those desiring to learn more about bocce ball, the club or are interested in becoming a member of the club can call Martinez at (916) 717-1947 or visit the Web site www.eastportalbocceclub.com.

 

E-mail Lance Armstrong at lance@valcomnews.com.