Food of the Feast: A Behind-the-Scenes Look

A multitude of specially crafted treats and dishes delighted the noses and taste buds of festival goers at this weekend’s UNICO Italian Feast in Clark. From lamb gyros to baklava, this festival had it all. Dozens of vendors poured in serving up unique cuisine, some hoping to introduce residents to a newfound business, while others considered the Feast a chance to engage with their regulars.

The Dinucci family and several close friends gathered at the Feast for the third year in a row to serve pizza for hungry carnival goers.

“As Clark residents, we wanted to get involved in this event, so we pulled out our old restaurant equipment and decided to run a pizza place at the festival,” Dinucci explained. As numerous family and friends spread tomato sauce and flipped some dough, Dinucci noted that the festival goers seem to especially love the Sicilian slices.

Christos Hintzaras was happy to represent the local Clark Italian eatery, Bistro 1051 for the second year.

“Our most popular dish has been the Spicy Maryland Crab Soup,” he said. “Yesterday, we sold out of that soup within the first two hours of the festival!” Pleased with this year’s success, Hintzaras notes that “we’ll be back next year.”

Several vendors arrived at the festival hoping for a taste of the success their businesses had found at other festivals throughout the tri-state area.  As he laid out trays of stuffed peppers and feta, Mike Marchitto stopped mid-gyro to talk to Patch about Gina’s Foods.

“We migrate to festivals every weekend from April through October, serving gyros, kabobs, fried calamari and roasted corn,” Marchitto explained. This is our second year at the Clark Italian Feast. So far we’ve been very successful,” Marchitto stated. “Everyone loves our lamb gyro.” 

Louie Dello of Louie’s Linguini, a catering business for festivals and private parties was clearly enjoying his first time working at the Clark Italian Feast. “Everyone loves our London Broil sandwiches,” he said. 

Peter Yazigi of Bonjour Montclair, a catering service was already finding success on this, his first trip to Clark’s Italian Feast. “I’m hoping the feast will be packed today,” he said. “We had a stand at MusicFest. The crowd favorite has definitely been our Strawberry Banana Chocolate Crepe,” Yazigi said.

Eager to gain a larger following, vendors like Donna Mouras of DJ’s Baklava, and Angela Cook and Amerina Petrucci of Mom’s Custom Cookies arrived at the Italian Feast with delicious desserts in tow. 

Mouras smiled as she explained the various flavors of baklava available for purchase at the feast. “Our most popular flavor has definitely been pistachio,” she said. “Once they taste it, they go home with a box.”

Angela Cook and Amerina Petrucci were excited to talk about their new business. “Our company is only one year old, but we have absolutely found success at the feast today,” Petrucci stated. “We can create any cookie design, personalizing the order for a customer,” Petrucci proudly displayed immaculately crafted sugar cookies decorated with red, green, and white frosting, made especially for this occasion.

Ed Pedicinie was also joined by family and friends to help advertise his new business, Two Fat Guys, an Italian eatery in Colonia. “This is our first time at the Italian Feast,” Pedicinie stated, noting that his restaurant donates pasta dishes for the pre-game meal enjoyed by varsity football players at Arthur L. Johnson high school. When asked about his success at the Feast, Pedicinie grinned stating, “We ain’t getting killed that’s for sure… we are having a great time.”

One of the most unique delicacies found at the feast were MozzArepas, a Columbian dish with an American twist. The soft, sweet and crispy snack resembles a pancake and is made out of sweet cornbread and stuffed with cheese. “Luis Leon first began serving these off of his lunch truck,” Emily Naples, a friend of the Leon family explained. “He was so successful he opened his own shop in Elizabeth.” Naples described the cuisine as “a new and exciting taste.”

Despite the unusually warm weather, residents were enchanted by the diverse cuisine presented at the feast, winding their way in between the stands, eager to try a London broil sandwich or even a fried pickle. A break away from the tradition of zeppole and cannoli, these vendors found success this weekend by introducing new carnival favorites.