Mt. Kisco Restaurant, Italian American Club to Introduce San Gennaro Fest
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
You won’t have to go very far this weekend to enjoy Italian culture.
The Italian American Club of Northern Westchester and Locali Kitchen and Bar are co-sponsoring their inaugural San Gennaro Festival at Mount Kisco’s Kirby Plaza starting Friday evening and continuing on Saturday and Sunday.
There will be food, a carnival for children and music and dancing, which promises to make it an enjoyable time for all those who attend.
To top off the weekend, there will be a car show on Kirby Plaza on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. featuring vintage and luxury cars, including Aston Martins, Lamborghinis and Ferraris. At least 100 cars are expected to be part of the show.
Launching a San Gennaro Festival in Mount Kisco, named after the saint who died a martyr more than 1,700 years ago, was the brainchild of Ben Meluzio, co-owner of Locali, which is located at Kirby Plaza. While there are San Gennaro festivals in many other locations this time of year, he thought there was a void in northern Westchester.
“There are a lot of Italian Americans and American Italians that live in the local area that have migrated for many, many years,” said Meluzio, who came from Italy with his family when he was four years old. “There’s no festival like that in our community, so I think us bringing that back and sharing our culture with the residents is something I wanted to do.”
He reached out to representatives from the Mount Kisco-based Italian American Club of Northern Westchester to see if there was interest in partnering on a festival. Meluzio said he needed assistance not only from the village for permitting but with another organization to pull off the weekend.
Nicholas Pinnetti, of the Italian American Club, said he loved the idea and began working with Meluzio and other club members to bring it to fruition. He said the festival will bring “a touch of Italy to the Village of Mount Kisco.”
“We wanted to do something nice for the community,” Pinnetti said. “Never before has something been done like this” in the village.
The festivities kick off on Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. Throughout the three days there will be the carnival, with a bouncy castle, a money wheel, a strongman striker and music from DJ Serg, who will be spinning records of both traditional Italian music as well as pop and dance music, Pinnetti said.
Food trucks will be on hand throughout the weekend, so if you like pizza, sausage and peppers, zepoles and gelato and cannoli, make sure you come hungry. The festival is open from 12 to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
In addition to Locali, which is the main sponsor, other sponsors include Miller Motors and Ace Endico.
For car enthusiasts, the highlight of the weekend might be the Sunday car show. Unique classic cars as well as some of the most expensive autos in the world will be on display in the parking area to the side and in front of Locali, according to Meluzio. Pete Simome and Tino Surace are the car marshals.
Meluzio said the roadway directly in front of his restaurant will be closed for the weekend on Kirby Plaza near the Mount Kisco train station; however, there should be plenty of free parking at the South Moger Avenue lot a short walk away.
For a first attempt, he hopes to keep the festival manageable and perhaps see it grow into an annual event.
Residents from all communities are welcome to attend the festival.
“It’ll be nice. It’s something I wanted to bring to the community,” Meluzio said. “It was very important that I collaborated with the Italian American Club, because without them, I think from a strategic point, it’s hard to organize it unless a church gets involved.”
There is no admission to the festival. The only charge is if visitors want to buy food.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
