About this Event
Join us in New York City to celebrate Santa Lucia on Sunday, December 11 at 2PM at restaurant!
We'll have a full luncheon menu featuring traditional Sicilian foods eaten in honor of Santa Lucia all cooked by guest Chef Giuseppe Sciurca from Sicily.
The afternoon includes a short concert of Sicilian folk music and a presentation about Santa Lucia and the Sicilian traditions of the feast presented by Allison Scola, owner and curator of Experience Sicily.
The afternoon will include a raffle for artisanal products from Sicily and gift cards from Experience Sicily boutique tours & creative travel planning.
Cost: $100/person, paid in advance. Ticket includes full Sicilian feast menu, wine, entertainment, raffle ticket, tax, and gratuity.
MENU
**Antipasti**
- Panelle e crocché (Chickpea fritters and potato croquettes)
- Arancine alle Carne (Rice balls with ragu)
- Arancine ai Spinaci (Rice balls with spinach)
**Primo (Choice of…)**
- Risotto ai Funghi (Mushroom Risotto)
- Risotto di Zucca (Pumpkin Risotto)
**Insalada Mista** (Mixed Salad)
**Secondo (Choice of…)**
- Gateau di patate, ragù di carne con piselli e melanzana fritta (Savory potato torte with meat, peas, and eggplant)
- Gateau di patate, ragù di Beyond Meat con piselli e melanzana fritta (Savory potato torte with Beyond* meat (*vegetarian), peas, and eggplant)
**Dolce**
- Cuccia con Ricotta (Sweet farro with ricotta, orange zest, and candied fruit)
**Beverages**
- A selection of red and white wines are included.
About the Feast of Santa Lucia
In the days leading up to the Feast of Santa Lucia, December 13, many Sicilians refrain from eating pasta and only eat un-ground wheat grain, or “farro,” that is prepared as a dish called cuccìa. Devotees observe this ritual to remember the severe famine that struck Siracusa and Palermo in 1646.
During that time of Spanish domination, the faithful prayed to their patron saint, Lucia, seeking relief. Finally in May during a mass, a squawking quail flew into the duomo in Ortigia (NB, the name “Ortigia” comes from the Ancient Greek word “ortyx,” which means quail.). At the same moment, a messenger entered the church announcing that ships had arrived carrying wheat grain. All hailed it a miracle, attributing the relief to Santa Lucia having answered their prayers.
Now, annually for her feast day in December devotees process her precious silver statue through the streets and only eat cuccìa and arancine as homage to the patron saint of eyes, sight, light, and wheat.
Viva Santa Lucia!
About Chef Giuseppe Sciucca
Hailing from the village of Petralia Sottana in the province of Palermo, Sicily, chef Giuseppe Sciurca cultivated his passion for cooking from his mother Angela starting at a young age. Under her tutelage he mastered typical Sicilian dishes ranging from those sourced from her home in the Madonie Mountains to the coastal towns of the nearby Tyrrhenian Sea. After working in the restaurant industry for about five years, Sciurca opened his first establishment, La Lupa Ghiotta, in Termini Imerese. In 2014, he launched Napèe, a restaurant that not only fused typical Sicilian cuisine from the mountains and the sea with modern sensibilities, but also featured zero kilometer (i.e., hyper-local) ingredients. After representing the Madonie region at the 2015 EXPO in Milan, in 2016, Napèe played host to the actors and crew for the recording of the feature film “L'ora Legale” by Sicilian comedic duo Ficarra and Picone. Sciurca closed Napèe, and after a successful trip to the United States in 2017, he founded Cosmo Nature-Tourismo, Cultura e Ambiente, an company with the mission to promote Sicilian culture through food, wine, hands-on cooking experiences, fruit and vegetable cultivation in his garden, and countryside excursions. Along with his partner and collaborator Valeria Signorino, Sciurca creates remarkable experiences for tourists to Sicily and Sicilians alike. Among many of his notable projects is revisiting the tradition of the Pupi di zucchero, expertly crafted sugar figures ritually eaten by children for generations for the Day of the Dead.
Experience Sicily is thrilled to welcome back Giuseppe Sciurca and Valeria Signorino after successful collaborations in both Sicily and New York including our Stirring Sicily cooking and wine tour (2017, 2019, and 2022) and our Valentine’s Day Sicilian Style (2019) and Carnevale with Two Chefs from Sicily (2020) dinner events presented in collaboration with chef Antonino Elia of Lititz, Pennsylvania, who we must graciously thank for introducing us.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Pasta Eater, 9 East 17th Street, New York, United States
USD 100.00