Christian Mothers hit the kitchen in preparation for Italian Food Fair
CONNELLSVILLE – Trays of precooked meatballs, green peppers and fried eggplant lined the tables of the St. Rita’s Social Hall Thursday as volunteers prepared for the Sept. 4 Italian Food Fair hosted by the Christian Mothers. The aroma of garlic and Parmesan cheese filled the kitchen and dining area as volunteers salted, breaded and then deep-fried the slices of eggplant to a golden brown. “We’ve been doing this for nearly 40 years,” said Rita Pratt as she supervised the activity that would go on throughout the morning. “We used to pack up all the food and take it across town for the city’s Nationality Days.
“(The Labor Day weekend activity) then turned into Timber Days and that’s when we decided to just hold it here in our social hall.”
Shortly after the July street festival sponsored by the church, the organization begins preparing for the food fair, said Pratt.
Nearly 1,500 meatballs, 100 pounds of spaghetti and 100 eggplants will be prepared for the event over the next few weeks.
Then, beginning at 11 a.m. on Sept. 4, a variety of food will be available for take out or to just enjoy at the First Street location.
On the menu will be pizza, manicotti, cavatelli, meatballs, hot sausage, eggplant Parmesan and stuffed peppers along with a complete spaghetti dinner that includes salad, roll and dessert.
For those with a sweet tooth, the Christian Mothers will also have a variety of baked goods available for purchase.
“Lunch time is the busiest,” said Pratt, adding that food will be served until 5:30 p.m.
To place an order on the day of the event, call the social hall at 724-628-5119.