Il Gazzettino - cinemaitalianoinhawaii.org

IFriends
l Gazzettino
of Italy Society of Hawai‘i
c/o Friends of Italy Society of Hawaii
P.O. Box 1376, Honolulu, HI 96807-1376
Il Gazzettino
Friends of Italy Society of Hawai‘i
Winter 2008/2009
Tia Carrera, Jason Scott Lee, & Diana Lee
Chris Lee, Donne Dawson, Jason Scott Lee, Edgy Lee, Neal Israel, Margherita Balbo Parrent, & Joe Nicolai
Tia Carrera, Daniel Dae Kim, & Jason Scott Lee
Models in Sebastien Toulouse fashions.
Franco Amurri accepts Award
Chris Lee and Daniel Dae Kim
Edgy Lee & Neal Israel
Franco Amurri, Neal Israel,
Daniel Dae Kim, Chris Lee, Edgy Lee and Jason Scott Lee
Joining us from Rome and Hollywood Mr Amurri and Mr Lee join in the celebration of Hawaii’s 5th
annual Cinema Italiano festival. Special awards were given out during our six-day festival of great
Italian cinema. See the full story on page 4 of this issue.
‘Contributions to Il Gazzettino should be sent to [email protected] or to the editor, C. Oliva at 1170D Kamahele Street Kailua, Hawai‘i 97834’
Photographs by George Russell
The President’s Letter
L’angolo di Concetta
Cari Amici,
Board of Directors
Margherita Parrent
President
Rose Marie Giasolli
Vice President
Ann Caputo
Secretary
Kathy Wright
Treasurer
Conne Sutherland
Events Director
Paride Monti
Membership
Carmen Di Amore-Siah
Director
Ron Ress
Director
Jill Ackerman
Rose Marie Giasolli
Special Projects
Constance Oliva
II Gazzettino Editor
Billy Candela
Design & Layout
([email protected])
How amazing it was to share
our 5th Annual Cinema
Italiano in Hawai‘i film festival
with everyone! The success of
this event was made possible
by the consistent support of
so many: sponsors, celebrity
guests, volunteers and our
avid FOISOH members who
attended the films. How lucky
we are to be able to bring a bit
of Italy to our lovely paradise
in Hawai‘i. One cannot ask for
more, well, not just yet anyway.
Plans are already underway for
next year’s festival.
We started the year out by
welcoming
the
Interpreti
Veneziani Baroque Ensemble
to Orvis Auditorium and what
a welcome it was! This was
quickly followed by our group
attendance at HOT, by monthly
films at the Movie Museum
and the FOISOH Annual Dinner
at The Canoe Club.
Our Festa di Natale held this
past December 7, at the
Kahala Resort was absolutely
spectacular! All 117 of us
were ensconced in the
Waialae Ballroom overlooking
the waterfall, the mood was
festive, the food scrumptious
and the music excellent.
The silent auction generated
some heated bidding and
successful
bidders
were
thrilled with their acquisitions.
Babbo Natale made an
appearance to the delight of
the children. Many thanks to
the incredible volunteers who
worked tirelessly to organize
this successful event;
Jill
Ackerman, Ann Caputo,
Ann Ho, Joe Magaldi, Ron
Ress, Corine Shigemoto,
Conne Sutherland, Miho
Teipel and Kathy Wright.
We are looking to return next
year to the Kahala Resort to
celebrate our Christmas party
once again there. This is at
the overwhelming request of
everyone who attended this
year’s event. So be sure to
mark your calendars next year
for December 13th.
Make 2009 the year you join
our hardworking board and
help with event planning. Don’t
be shy, just step forward and
volunteer! Not knowing how to
do something hasn’t stopped
us from trying and succeeding.
The Cinema Italiano in
Hawai‘i festival is proof
that we can succeed in new
ventures if we have the drive
and energetic volunteers. We
are willing to train anyone who
joins us, and if we don’t know
how to do something, we can
all learn together. Volunteering
is a huge gift one gives to the
community. Isn’t this what the
holidays are all about? I do
hope that this holiday we will
all make the time to share with
family and friends, spread the
joy of the holidays and reflect
on many blessings.
Monthly Italian films will
resume in February at the
Movie Museum, and there are
several events in the planning
stages: culinary classes, a
wine tasting event, an event
in partnership with Slow Food
Hawai‘i and potlucks to name
a few. Organizing these lively
gatherings takes enthusiasm—
which we have in abundance—
and volunteers which we need.
On behalf of the Board, we
wish you and your families
a safe, healthy and happy
holiday season.
Quando ero una giovane
donna ricordo che ero
spesso preoccupata di cosa
pensasse la gente riguardo
cio’ che facevo, dicevo e cose
di questo genere.
A questo proposito, mia
madre donna matura e
saggia, un giorno mi disse
che dovevo preoccuparmi
soltanto di fare sempre del
mio meglio e in questo modo
avrei trovato la serenita’.
La ragione per cui non dovevo
preoccuparmi del giudizio
degli altri e’ perche’ la gente
giudica e critica in ogni caso.
E cosi’ mi racconto’ una
famosa storiella che fu scritta
dal poeta Esopo molto tempo
addietro e che riguarda la
natura umana.
Il contadino, il figlio e l’asinello.
Auguri di Buon Anno,
Margherita Balbo Parrent
C’era una volta un vecchio
contadino che stava
camminando con suo figlio ed
un asinello.
Alcune persone vedendoli
passare criticarono dicendo :
«Ma che stupidi, perche’ non
stanno sull’asino invece di
andare a piedi ? »
Allora il giovane ed il padre
salirono sull’asinello.
Ed ecco che la seconda
critica arrivo’ :
« Ma che cattivi, quel povero
asinello con tutto quel
peso »…
"ORN)NTOA(IGHLY#OMPETITIVE&AMILY
Cosi’ il giovane decise
di scendere dall’asino e
lasciare il padre sulla groppa
dell’animale.
Ed ecco subito un’altra
critica :
« Ma che assurdita’ il povero
giovane sara’ cosi’ stanco » !
Cosi’ il padre scese e chiese
al figlio di salire sull’asinello.
Ed anche questa volta un’altra
critica :
-ASERATIOF(AWAII
3"ERETANIA3Ts(ONOLULU()ssWWWJNAUTOMOTIVECOM
« Ma che egoismo e che
crudelta’, la gente disse, il
giovane sull’asino ed il
vecchierello a piedi ».
Morale della favola :
Comportati come meglio credi
e non dar cura a cio’ che la
gente dice o pensa perche’
qualsiasi comportamento
si ha, viene criticato in ogni
caso.
CVB
Anne Caputo, Salon 45
45 Kihapai Street, Kailua, HI 96743
Call for an appointment: 255-4467
2 – winter 2008/2009
Il Gazzettino
Elegant and creative ways to share gourmet food
with family, clients and colleagues.
1460 S. Beretania Street, Honolulu HI 96814 Phone: 808•596•9463 Open 7 days a week 10 am–8 pm
108 Hekili Street, Kailua HI 96734 Phone: 808•261•3358 Open 7 days a week 10 am–8 pm
winter
2008/2009 – 11
Il Gazzettino
Due Chiacchiere
Carmella Hernandez State
Director March of Dimes put
together a highly successful
and entertaining Governors
Ball fundraiser at the Sheraton
Waikiki
November
15th,
good job Carmella! — Jill
Ackerman enjoyed a wonderful
tour of Turkey in October. —
Jefferson Finney returned
from the Kasbah. — How
many photos of Margherita
Parrent did you see in our
local newspapers September
and October? Every one was a
winner. If you read the October
Midweek article, you learned a
great deal about our FOISOH
president.
—
Roberto
Gramigni, the Pizza Man, did
a fundraiser at UH for Gamma
Kappa Alpha (National Italian
Honor Society).
He made
pizza which was sold by the
slice to the fortunate eaters! —
For passport issues contact
www.conssanfrancisco.esteri.
it/Consolato_SanFrancisco
or
email:
passaporti.
[email protected] — Il
Gazzettino is looking for
people who would like to
take over the task (or assist
mightily!) in editing this quarterly
publication. Please get in touch
with Margherita evenings at
737-CIAO
—
Tommaso
Gambino was able to renew
acquaintances with Cinema
Italiano special presenter/film
director/writer Franco Amurri
in Rome this October. — The
most fabulous hotel to open
in Italy this year, and perhaps
in many years, is the Four
Seasons Hotel Firenze. Once
the Palazzo Gherandesca,
with a history going back
500 years, it is located on the
right bank of the Arno within
walking distance of markets,
palazzi, shopping.
“Italy’s
first city resort”, has a park, a
spa, a pool and seems poised
between the center of the city
and the countryside. Starting
at $790, the Hotel Firenze
is fantastically costly, and
positively heavenly. — Carlino
Giampolo
is
FOISOH’s
connection to the 2008 NIAF
convention. Carlino attended
several of the weekend long
events in Washington, D.C last
month. — A good read is The
Immigrants Table - La Tavola
Dell’Immigrante: Poems and
Heirloom Recipes by Mary
Lou Sanelli. — Did you know
that from 1860-1880 about
80% of all Italians in the United
States were in California and
many of them came from the
Lucca region of Tuscany, a
region celebrated for its olive
oil.
Several oil producing
orchards and farms today
were started by these early
immigrants. — It’s official:
“Prosecco” is a word. The
Italian sparkling wine (and
grape varietal) has finally made
it into Merriam-Webster’s
Dictionary. — Beer is big in
Italy these days, especially
in Piedmont and Lombardy.
Beer is being produced with a
high alcohol content and sold
in brew pubs and restaurants,
bottled like wine and almost as
pricy, with original tastes that
are becoming very popular.
Restaurants in the area pair
dinner courses with specific
beers. — Food lovers know
Marcella Hazan from her best
selling cookbooks, but her
latest book Amarcord which
means “I remember” in her
native Romagna dialect is not
about recipes but about her
own life. A beautiful memoir, it
traces Hazan’s journey from the
Adriatic coast through school,
marriage and her cooking
career. — Speaking of food,
Slow Food Nation is getting
bigger and bigger. Laurie
Carlson attended the recent
San Francisco festival, as well
as the one in Torino, Italy. —
S.O.S. to members who enjoy
RAI. RAI International television
has been broadcasting in
Hawaii for over two years. If
you haven’t tuned on our local
Olelo channel, check out this
Italian programming. Because
of engineering difficulties, this
Italian language broadcast is
in real danger of cancellation.
FOISOH members should
contact the CEO of Olelo at
834-0007 and express support
for this programming and urge
Olelo to continue with the
broadcasts. — Condolences
to long time FOISOH member
Dolores Carmody.
Her
husband Neil passed away
October 11.
Columbus Day Encounter at the White House
On Columbus Day, President George W. Bush welcomed visiting
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to the White House. “Every
year on Columbus Day, we remember the remarkable history that
unites American and Italy,” Bush told the crowd. “…Through the
years, generations of Italian immigrants have made their own
voyage to the New World. They brought with them a vibrant
culture and a strong sense of family. And today their children
and grandchildren have risen to some of the highest offices in
our land.” During his speech, Bush recognized U.S. Speaker
10 – winter 2008/2009
of the House Nancy Peolosi, Supreme Court Justices Antonin
Scalia and Samuel Alito Jr, as Italian Americans who hold such
high offices today in the United States. Berlusconi responded by
stating that Italians are grateful to the United States for protecting
them during World War II, the Cold War, and today’s war on terror.
He added “….when I see an American flag I don’t see only the
flag of a great country – I also see the great symbol of freedom
and democracy.”
winter
2008/2009 – 3
Cinema Italiano Hawai‘i 2008
Member Follow Up: Janny Pastore
Carissimi,
Thanks to the hard work and
generosity of many, many
people, the 2008 Cinema
Italiano in Hawai‘i Film
Festival was a roaring
success. For a fabulous six
days from September 25 - 30,
Honolulu was buzzing with
the excitement of great Italian
films, international stars, terrific
food and high fashion!
None of this could have
happened without the vital
support and cooperation
of Istituto Italiano di Cultura
San Francisco, the Honolulu
Academy of Arts’ Theatre
Director/Film Curator Gina
Maria Caruso and Theatre
Manager Steve Mobley, and
the Friends of Italy Society.
Princess Alliata di Montereale,
who sponsors the award we
give to the winning film, has
been a special fairy godmother
to Cinema Italiano in
Hawai‘i; we would not have
been able to start the festival
without her. They, along with
our generous sponsors: HI
Luxury, San Francisco Film
Society, HonBlue, University
of Hawai‘i’s College of
Languages, Linguistics and
Literature, Movie Museum,
Kai Hawai‘i, Aloha Graphics,
First Hawai‘ian Bank, Honolulu
Weekly
and
Creations
in
Catering
have
been
indispensable to the success
of the festival. A special word
of thanks goes to Pacific
Network and the inspirational
Edgy Lee, who brings so
much to the table: the trailer,
guest jurors Neal Israel, Jason
4 – winter 2008/2009
Scott Lee and the incredible
publicist Suzanne Kurisu.
Celebrating its 5th year,
Cinema Italiano in Hawai‘i
was at its most glamorous,
screening the USA premiere of
A WHOLE LIFE AHEAD after a
spectacular kickoff party at the
Ferrari/Maserati
showroom,
where Ferrari Maserati of
Hawai‘i & Castiglione A
Casauria Foundation have
been our gracious host for 4
years now.
The special guests and jurors,
who each committed to the
2008 Cinema Italiano in
Hawai‘i despite their full
schedules, added real star
power to our festival. Chris Lee,
who was our President of the
Jury and Master of Ceremonies,
is the visionary founder of the
University of Hawai‘i Academy
for Creative Media. Mr. Lee,
who is executive producer for
the highly anticipated thriller
VALKYRIE, brought us the
gracious (and hunky) guest
presenter Daniel Dae Kim
of the ABC series Lost. The
students are still raving about
the lectures director Franco
Amurri and favorite local star
Jason Scott Lee gave. Mr.
Amurri, who had to rush back
to Rome to start filming a
miniseries and three films, was
inspired by the students and
might be hiring one of them to
assist with a documentary that
will be filmed in Italy. Director
Neal Israel and Hotelier Peter
Shaindlin had to rearrange
their busy work schedules
to be part of the jury, and
their presence was greatly
appreciated. Thanks also go
to the Sheraton where all of
our out-of-town guests were
housed. They loved the warm
hospitality and can’t wait to
return.
My deep gratitude also goes
to the chefs who prepared
the party’s wonderful food:
Kevin Tate of Two Boots,
your jambalaya was a huge
hit; Stefano and Sabrina
of
Sabrina’s
Ristorante
Italiano,
your
wonderfully
authentic gnocchi, caprese,
focaccia and amaretti were
much appreciated; Roberto
Gramigni of Roberto Pizza
Party delighted everyone with
delectable thin-crusted pizza;
Marc Coen of Che Pasta
shared poached ahi in olive oil
to great applause; Bruno Iezzi
of Mix Café served delicious
caponata di melanzane and
peperonata, and for dessert
we all thrilled (and chilled)
to Maurizio Grasso’s gelato.
To wash it all down, Philana
Bouvier of B & Co., Christina
of Better Brands and the
gracious staff of R. Field
Wine Co. provided a fabulous
selection of sophisticated
beverages. Sergio Mitrotti of
Café Sistina provided generous
gift certificates to the festival
and hosted a special dinner
for the volunteers. A heartfelt
“thank you” to each of you:
the 2008 Cinema Italiano
in Hawai‘i would not have
been complete without your
delicious contributions!
Il Gazzettino
Stars weren’t the only things
glittering at the fabulous kickoff
party. The $2 million fashion
show by Damiani featured
exquisite jewels, and I was
delighted to model $150,000
in
diamonds!
Sebastian
Toulouse provided fabulous
gowns valued at $50,000 and
Rene who styled the show
and did the models’ make
up created such an elegant
mood. Thanks to their vision,
the 2008 Cinema Italiano in
Hawai‘i sparkled!
The success of the festival
depended on the fine teamwork
of many dedicated people.
Our indispensable friends
and committee members
donated money, valuable time
and effort for this event, and
Cinema Italiano couldn’t
even be a possibility without
them. My heartfelt thanks go
to the contributers listed on
the next page. With everyone’s
help the 5th Annual Cinema
Italiano in Hawai‘i was a real
triumph. Let’s look forward to
next year’s festival.
In the last issue of Il Gazzettino,
an article about Spoleto, Italy
inspired a response from our
member, Janny Pastore.
Janny Pastore is an Italian
American whose grandparents
emigrated from the area near
Salerno. About 10 years ago,
someone suggested that she
get her Italian passport. After
a couple of years of hard work
(including tracking down and
visiting the tiny village where
her grandparents were born),
she was finally rewarded with
an Italian passport! Janny was
actually born in Los Angeles,
and after many vacations spent
in Hawaii, she felt a strong
connection with the islands
and became a permanent
resident in 1976. Janny and
her husband Lyman Blank,
and their kitty Mr.Gatto, live on
the beach in Kahala where, for
many years, they have been
on-site property managers
of a vacation rental home.
Unfortunately, this property is
due to be demolished soon,
and they’re hoping to find a
similar situation.
Cordialmente,
Margherita Balbo Parrent
One way Janny and her
husband keep their connection
to Italy alive is by traveling there
whenever possible. On a trip
to Fiesole (a lovely small town
just above Florence, without
the crowds, and very charming
she reports) Janny and Lyman
met a young man, Leonardo,
and his parents, while having
dinner. Leonardo spoke perfect
English, and worked for the
Antinori Wineries. His parents
mentioned they had a hotel in
the ancient and beautiful city
of Spoleto (Spoleto is world
famous for the cultural festival
that is held there during the
summer), and invited Janny
and her husband to be their
guests. Unfortunately, there
was no way Janny could
rearrange their schedule to
include this visit. But, Leonardo
and Janny remained in touch
via email.
Having mentioned to Leonardo
in one of her emails that she
and Lyman would be visiting
Italy for a month in May to June
of this year, it was agreed they
would all have dinner again at
the same restaurant where they
first met. Leonardo had quit
his job and was now living in
Milan while pursuing his MBA.
He made a special trip just to
have dinner with Janny and
Lyman. At dinner, Leonardo
mentioned his parents would
love to have them visit their
hotel in Spoleto. Making the
invitation even more tempting,
Leonardo had brought with
him a beautiful book about
his parents’ hotel. This time,
Janny and Leonardo were able
to figure out a way to make the
visit happen.
Leonardo’s mother, Paola, met
them at the train station and
drove them to the family owned
four star hotel in the historic
part of Spoleto. The hotel
was in a parklike setting with
a gorgeous view of the green
Umbrian hills. Paola invited
Janny and Lyman to have
dinner with her family in their
home. The house was built in
1673, and had been lovingly
restored by Paola’s husband,
Spartaco, who is a contractor
specializing in restoring ancient
buildings. Paola and Spartaco
have an apartment on the top
floor. Paola was very proud of
the Roman wall running the
length of the entire property,
with a huge marble plaque that
named the builder. Spartaco
and Paola prepared a 9 course
meal, remembering that Janny
is a vegetarian. Even though
there was no meat, the meal
was truly memorable.
The next day, Paola and her
sister Tulia took Janny on
a walking tour of Spoleto.
Dinner that night was in a
typical Umbrian restaurant,
and of course the food and
wine were fabulous.
After
two nights and days, Janny
and Lyman’s magical time in
Spoleto had come to an end.
When they went to check out,
the balance owed was zeroand they’d been given the best
room in the house! Spartaco
and Paola took them to the
train, and encouraged them to
come back and visit again.
Janny and Lyman were both
touched by the warmth,
generosity and hospitality of
Leonardo’s parents, as well as
the beauty of their home and
Spoleto. She holds special
memories of this time and
feels lucky to have met such
wonderful people.
Janny and her husband have
been FOISOH members since
2006. They most enjoy the
Italian Film Festival, films at the
Movie Museum, and reading
Il Gazzettino . Janny is in the
business of consulting with
people who need assistance in
planning a trip to Bella Italia. She
may be reached at 734-2665.
WANTED
Editor for:
Il Gazzettino
Immediate Opening
Call: 737-CIAO
EDMUND A. CASSELLA, D.M.D.
Diplomate, American Board of Periodontology
tel:
pgr:
(808) 955-1506 • fax: (808) 955-1551
846-5788
Ala Moana Building, Suite 1506
1441 Kapiolani Blvd., Honolulu, Hawaii 96814
winter
2008/2009 – 9
Italy Today: A Population Problem
In a well researched article
for The New York Times
Magazine,
Russell Shorto
writes revealingly about the
low birthrates in Europe,
particularly in Italy. The feature,
“Childless Europe”, subtitled
“Nessun Bambino?”, attempts
to explain the reasons that
birthrates
across
Europe
are falling at drastic, and to
many, alarming rates. Why
are Europeans having fewer
children and what does it mean
for their future, and to ours?
The Italian, German and
Spanish birthrate figure of 1.3
is well below the replacement
level of 2.1. At the present
birthrate, the population would
be cut in half in 45 years,
creating a falling-off-a-cliff
effect from which it would be
nearly impossible to recover.
There’s a new ominous term
for this phenomenon: “lowestlow fertility”.
In the many studies cited in
the report, the Italian decline
in births has been attributed
to different factors. Young
people in Italy stay with their
parents longer than children
in other countries. Often as a
consequence of this, couples
often become parents later.
There is a high percentage of
children born after the parents
turn 40. These factors are
related, because if you have a
late start, you tend not to have
a second child, and rarely a
third.
8 – winter 2008/2009
And there are economic
explanations.
Italy, for
example, pays the lowest
starting wages of any country
in the E.U. which causes young
people to delay striking out on
their own. As one politician
has noted: “Living at home
with your parents is a very
powerful contraception.” But
a deeper problem may be the
southern European culture,
which makes it difficulty to
combine work and family.
There is a very asymmetric
gender relationship.
Italian
society encourages mothers to
stay home with their children.
There is little state financed
childcare, especially for new
mothers, and most newlyweds
still find homes close to one
or both sets of parents, the
assumption being that the
extended family will help raise
the children. But this no longer
works as it once did. Couples
tend to delay childbearing, the
age gap between generations
is widening, and in many cases
grandparents, who in the past
could be the ones relied upon
for child care, themselves
become the ones in need of
care.
financial sinkhole, which could
drag a family into poverty.
This seems to fly in the face
of some conventional thinking
which argues that simply
encouraging people to have
more babies will raise the
population and add fuel to the
economic engine. It should
also be noted, that families
in which fathers participate
equally in childcare tend to
be larger.
The accepted
demographic wisdom had
been that as women enter the
job market, a society’s fertility
rate drops. In fact, something
like the opposite is happening
in Europe. The birthrate to
working mothers is greater
than to non working mothers.
Il Gazzettino
Contributors to Cinema Italiano:
This seems to reflect the
importance of couples sharing
childcare
responsibilities.
Whatever the reasons for
the low Italian birthrate, the
situation is critical. According
to Carl Haub of the Population
Reference Bureau, “…you
can’t go on forever with a
total fertility rate of 1.2. If you
compare the size of the 04 age group and the 29-34
age group in Italy right now,
you see the younger group
is almost half the size of the
older. You can’t keep going
with a completely upside age
distribution, with the pyramid
standing on its point. You
can’t have a country where
everybody lives in a nursing
home.”
Platinum:
Prince S.R.I. Vittorio &
Princess S.R.I. Dialta
Alliata di Montereale
Ms. Mary Bertolino
Mr. Noel Bragg
Law Offices of
Carmen di Amore-Siah
Body Balance, Maria Torcia
Mr. & Mrs. Antony Orme
Mr. Dean Spagnoli & Family
Gold:
Anonymous
Dr. Ed & Mrs Cassella
Ms. Cheryl Oncea
Mr. Joe Magaldi
Ms. Cesarina Spinelli
Mr. John Vito Granito
Mr. Mike Strada
Silver:
Mr. Rick Blangiardi
Mr. Patrick Casey
Mr. & Mrs. Giorgio Calderone
Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Di Lullo
Mr. Ron Fitzgerald
Mr. Ed Haik
Mr. Carlino Giampolo
Mr. Frank Hamerle
Mr. Blake Johnson
Mr. Giampiero Morosi
Mr. & Mrs. Guido Pigliasco
Ms. Ann Powers
Mr. & Mrs. Ron Ress
Ms. Neva Rego
Mr. & Mrs. Luciano Minerbi
Bronze:
Ms. Linda Arnette
Ms. Ellen Fera
Mr. & Mrs. Tom Foye
Ms. Kathy Wright &
Mr. Al La Monica
Ms. Sandra Perez
Mr. Ezio Tamburrini
Ms. Debbie Textiera
Committee Members:
Marcie Andrews
Beatrice Bergamaschi
Mary Bertolino
Elisabeth Case
Ann Caputo
James De Mello
Jefferson Finney
Joanne Fujita
Thomas Gambino
Carmella Hernandez
Barbara Hester
Ann Ho
Susanne Kurisu
Julie Lam
Anna McNeill
Paride Monti
Connie Oliva
Michael Roman
Conne Sutherland
Nicole Wagner
Between
northern
and
southern Europe, there is
also an economic dichotomy.
The northern countries have
predominantly two income
families, and state support. In
Scandinavia for example, the
more children a family has,
the wealthier it is likely to be,
whereas in southern Europe
having children could be a
FHIB-11301
1 FHIB-11301 R5
AdR5_3-5x4-5.indd
Number:
Ad Subject:
2008 HIFF Magazine Ad
Publication:
5th Annual Italian Film Festival Program Booklet
9/12/08 10:58:22 AM
winter
2008/2009 – 5
Meet the FOISOH Members
Carlino Giampolo : In Pittsburgh,
it’s known as Panther Hollow.
Most of the residents were
born and raised there, as were
their parents and grandparents.
Masses of Italian immigrants
arrived in the United States
at the turn of the 20th century
– humble, honest, hard-working
peasants from Europe – seeking
a new life. Ancestors of the
current Panther Hollow residents
hail mostly from the small Italian
towns of Pizzoferrato and
Gamberale, just east of Rome.
As was the case with many
other ethnic groups, they were
received with resentment at
first, but they persevered for the
sake of their children and their
children’s children. Today, the
Panther Hollow community is a
proud, close neighborhood of
long-time residents.
Carlino Giampolo, a Honolulu
resident, was himself born
and raised in Panther Hollow.
He visits his parents, Carl
and Irma, there regularly.
Last year Carlino created a
humble monument to the
residents’ forebears that was
placed in a small park in the
neighborhood.
(Benches
and poles in the area of the
monument
simultaneously
were painted the colors of the
Italian flag.)
Within the monument is a
plaque bearing 95 Italian
family names of people who
were among the original
settlers – names such as
Basilio, Bellante and Biancullo;
Dell’Alessandro, De Pasquale
6 – winter 2008/2009
and Dinardo; Tarantino, Varatti
and Veri.
“These are the people who
came before and established
the character of a very
special
Italian-American
neighborhood,” Carlino says.
“It’s only fitting to show the
respect we have for them.”
Concetta Volpe-Bonfiglio :
This teacher is having a fine
time with her Italian language
students. Only recently did she
resume Italian group classes.
For ten years, she conducted
only private lessons, and she
is enjoying her group lessons
very much. “My students kept
coming back for years even
after they reached an advanced
level. One day I asked why
they continued to take lessons
since by that point, they spoke
and understood Italian very
well. The answer was the
following: ‘we love to hear you
speaking Italian because to
us it sounds just like music!’
Nice answer, I thought. I wish
I could be one of them for a
moment in order to hear that
music but the only thing I can
do is to help people to hear it.”
For information about Italian
lessons (FOISOH members
receive a discount) contact
808 394-8032 .
Il Gazzettino
Italian Food: Formaggio
What a revelation! There are
more and more vendors selling
imported cheeses from Italy. Try
something beyond parmesan.
Brunet: Dense, cakey beautiful,
even though it’s made from
pasteurized milk.
Aged for
one month, it comes in an 8
ounce pack and has a mildly
herbaceous aroma with nutty
notes and creamy texture. It’s
rich but not heavy. Producer:
Caseificio dell’Alta Langa.
Caprino Stagionato: Caprino
is Italian for goat, but cheeses
with this name can also be
made from cow’s milk. Look for
the all goat version, sometimes
covered with herbs or smoked.
This cheese comes from
northwest Italy {Piedmont or
Lombardy}. Sweet with earthy
and lemony notes. Producer:
Latteria Perenzin.
Gorgonzola, Mountain: One
of the big three of the blue cheese
world, along with Roquefort and
Stilton. It is made in two styles:
dolce is sweet and subtle;
mountain is more assertive.
Despite its strong flavor, the
sweet undertone and creamy
finish give this mountain cheese
a fine balance. Producer: Carlo
Gelmini
Fiore Sardo: Buttery, complex
with aromas of hay and smoke.
Made from raw sheep’s milk in
Sardinia, is straw colored and
aged up to six months. As it
gets older, it becomes . drier and
more crumbly, making it good
for grating. Producer: Savello.
Mozzarella
di
Bufala:
Mozzarella has been made
from water buffalo milk in the
Campagnia region of Italy for
centuries. Water buffalo’s milk
has more butterfat than cow’s
milk making this mozzarella
rich and meaty and worth
seeking out. Freshness is key
to this cheese. Eat it simply
with tomatoes, basil, olive oil
and bread….what a feast.
Producer: Casabianca
Readers: Send in your cheese
suggestions, favorites, or
recipes!
HILuxury – applauded as THE local luxury magazine.
Designed and written for those who choose to live in Hawaii.
Available at all fine book stores or to subscribe see HILuxury.com
winter
2008/2009 – 7