Festival brings a taste of Italy to the Valley

Richard Brian

Italian entertainer Ciro Giorgio, center, performs for festival-goers on the first day of the San Gennaro Feast on Tuesday. The Italian food festival runs through Sunday.

By Jeff O'Brien (contact)

Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008 | 10:57 a.m.

Dana Ippolito, otherwise known as "Dana the Cannoli Queen," stood in front of her "Sweets of Italy" booth selling pastries to hungry visitors.

She was one of more than 150 vendors cooking up a variety of authentic Italian food on Tuesday at the San Gennaro Feast, which kicked off that evening and runs through Sunday.

The feast is held twice a year — once in the spring and again in the fall — with the next one scheduled for May 6 to May 10.

"That's my main thing is cannolis," Ippolito said when asked about her nickname. "I guess it was just natural."

And the ingredients? Dana the Cannoli Queen revealed that they include ricotta cheese and chocolate chips — but she wouldn't say anything more.

"My recipe for the ricotta is a secret," she said.

More than 50,000 people were expected to attend the San Gennaro Feast, the largest Italian festival in the Las Vegas Valley.

It is being held at 4245 S. Grand Canyon Drive near the intersection of Flamingo Road and the Las Vegas Beltway.

Ippolito, a resident of Mountains Edge, has been serving her cannolis at the San Gennaro Feast for the past four years and said the food and excitement is what draws the crowds.

"A lot of people love the Italian heritage, and I think just about everybody loves Italian food," Ippolito said.

But not all the entertainment revolves around pasta, sausages and wine — the feast also includes carnival rides such as a Ferris wheel, merry-go-round and a ride called "The Scrambler," which sends 12 carts of passengers spinning in dizzying circles.

Andrea Taylor of Las Vegas was ready to try the rides with her friend's daughter, 9-year-old Jessica Clark.

"The adults love the food and the drinks, but the kids love the rides," Taylor said.

It was Jessica's first time at the San Gennaro Feast and she was excited to board The Scrambler.

"My favorite food here is the pizza," Jessica said.

Of course, an Italian festival wouldn't be complete without the pizza — Tiffany Caico was dishing out hot slices of pepperoni, sausage and cheese varieties at "Poppy Pizza Guys," a mobile pizza catering company that travels across the country.

"All of our ingredients are homemade and we have fresh dough made on-site," Caico said. "The different kinds of slices are pretty much selling equally."

There were so many succulent food options that Steve Piccolo of Las Vegas couldn't make up his mind as he strolled past the different booths.

"I pretty much love everything here," he said.

Piccolo, who is of Italian descent, moved to Las Vegas from New York three years ago and since then has been a regular at the San Gennaro Feast.

When asked what he was going to eat, Piccolo said he was still "scoping things out."

"I'm not sure yet," he said. "It might be the meatballs or the pasta or the sausage. It all smells so good."

The San Gennaro Feast runs from 4 p.m. to midnight on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 4 p.m. to midnight on Friday, 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday.

Tickets are $7 each or $10 for two. Seniors pay $5 and all day carnival ride passes are $25.

Jeff O’Brien is a reporter for the Home News. He can be reached at 990-8957 or jeff.obrien@hbcpub.com.