14 Annual Galbani® Cheese Italian Feast of San Gennaro, Los

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shari Mesulam
Managing Director
Ballantines PR
[email protected]
14th Annual Galbani® Cheese
Italian Feast of San Gennaro, Los Angeles
September 25–27, 2015
Celebrating Italian Culture
Three days of music, food, wine, rides and games
Family-friendly festival supports local charities
Hollywood, September xx, 2015 (www.feastofla.com) – The 14th Annual Galbani® Cheese Italian Feast
of San Gennaro, Los Angeles takes over Hollywood from September 25-27 with their annual street
festival, celebrating everything that it means to be Italian. The savory smells of Italian sausage and
peppers, meatballs simmering in homemade sauce, baked clams on the half shell, warm cheese on
perfectly crusted pizza and sugar-powdered zeppole fill the streets of Hollywood while patrons enjoy cold
glasses of sangria and listen to the sweet sounds of opera, jazz and big band late into the night!
Inspired by the 80+ year old New York City tradition, the Feast celebrates Italian culture, entertainment
and cuisine by featuring great food, music, genealogy research, free kid’s corner & petting zoo, pony
rides, bocce, bingo, ferris wheel, games and more. Over thirty hours of live music and performances are
scheduled throughout the weekend on the Galbani Cheese Main Stage and special guest, Galbani
Cheese’s very own Chef Marco will demonstrate Italian recipes on Saturday, September 26th at 5pm and
host a “Galbani Cheese Building Contest for Charity” at 6pm. A “Gravy-Sauce Cooking Competition”,
open to all levels of chefs, is a two-day contest full of favorite family recipes and stories for all to enjoy.
“Celebrating tradition, family and great food with our community is what the Feast is all about,” said
Frankie Competelli, Festival President. “For 13 years the Feast has welcomed thousands of Angelenos
and everyone leaves the Feast a little happier and a littler fuller.”
St. Gennaro, the patron saint of Naples Italy, worked tirelessly to help people in need and is the
inspiration for the Feast created in his name. The Mass & Procession of St. Gennaro on Hollywood Blvd.
begins at 11am on Saturday, September 26th, presided by Monsignors Montoya and Cacciapuoti.
The festival commences on Friday, September 25th and lends support to local charities throughout the
weekend, including a “Will You Marrow Me?” donor campaign for Be the Match registry, which recruits
marrow donors to save lives of blood cancer patients. A Blood Drive for Cedars Sinai Hospital will be
hosted on-site from 11am-5pm on Sunday September 27th. The Feast will also be the last stop on the
Youth Cancer Baseball Tour, which takes families of children fighting cancer to Major League Baseball
games. The Uncle Frank Helping Hand Foundation, established in honor of Jimmy Kimmel’s real uncle
and regular cast member on Jimmy Kimmel Live! began hosting the baseball tour upon the year of his
passing in 2011. “My father (Uncle Frank) always lent a helping hand to people in need. For these
families to be able to have a day of fun together, letting the kids be kids again, means the world to them,”
said Ann Potenza, Festival Director. “We really appreciate the support of everyone who helps make this
happen!”
Galbani Cheese (formerly Precious Cheese), same great taste, different name, is proud to be back for the
14th annual Feast! “We’re so happy to continue our support as the title sponsor of the Galbani Cheese
Italian Feast of San Gennaro and are looking forward to this wonderful event that brings friends and
families together to celebrate Italian food and culture,” said Jessica Ruth, spokesperson for Galbani
Cheese. All weekend long, festival patrons are invited to enjoy complimentary Galbani Cheese samples
and photo souvenirs from the Galbani photo booth. Festival photos can be shared at #GalbaniItalianFest.
The festival venue is conveniently located across the street from the Hollywood and Highland complex
and Metro Red Line, at 1651 N. Highland Ave, one block south of Hollywood Blvd. The Feast will be held
September 25-27, 2015 (Fri 5pm-Midnight, Sat 11am-Midnight, Sun 11am-10pm). General admission is
$5 and kids under 12 are Free.
This year, the Feast is affiliated with Christ the King Church, Midnight Mission, PAL (Police Activities
League), Uncle Frank Helping Hand Foundation, Be the Match registry and Cedars Sinai blood drive.
The Feast also extends support to various Italian American organizations. For more information about
the Galbani® Italian Feast of San Gennaro, Los Angeles, please visit www.feastofla.com.
About The Feast of San Gennaro LA
The Feast of San Gennaro LA was originally created in 2002 under the auspices of The San Gennaro
Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit created by celebrity Jimmy Kimmel, producer Douglas DeLuca and
restaurateur Frankie Competelli, along with some of Los Angeles’ most prominent Italian-American
citizens. Although the Foundation closed its doors in 2014, its mission, to emulate St. Gennaro, patron
saint of Naples who worked tirelessly to help people in need, continues to this day by partnering with
various local charities that help underprivileged children and homeless in LA, as well as to provide
entertainment and cultural enrichment to the community through its cultural outreach program.
About Galbani® Cheese
Precious has now joined Galbani cheese – Italy's favorite cheese brand. The Galbani brand is known
worldwide for crafting authentic cheeses in the Italian tradition; so when you see the Galbani name, you
can count on the same authentic cheese you've come to know and love from Precious cheese, as well as
a broader world of Italian cheeses to explore. Galbani and Precious brands are brought to you by Lactalis
Retail Dairy, Inc. (“LRDI”), a division of Lactalis American Group, Inc. (“LAG”). With headquarters in
Buffalo, NY, LAG is a subsidiary of Parmalat S.p.A., an Italian public entity majority-owned by Francebased Groupe Lactalis – the world’s largest producer of premium cheese. LRDI produces a wide array of
natural cheese products included among the leading brands of mozzarella, ricotta, fresh mozzarella, and
snack cheese sold in the United States. A wide variety of specialty cheese are available to retail,
foodservice and industrial customers. More information on Galbani cheese may be found at
www.galbanicheese.com.
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