Troy L. Milliron 
Taking place this Saturday at the Porcupine Dante Club
Content of the article
Calabrian wine, an antipasto table with roasted peppers and homemade aubergines, Italian cheeses like fontina and asiago, minestrone, chicken cutlets and potatoes, and homemade Italian cookies like pizzelles and crostoli will be served at the 42nd annual Calabrian dinner and dance at the Porcupine Dante Club this Saturday.
Content of the article
‘Welcome Back to Calabria’ will be the first time in two years that the Calabrian community of Timmins and friends will sit down and mingle in person at their signature event.
Organizer Joanne Norkum considers herself lucky to have been able to host the last Calabrese Night in February 2020, just before the pandemic hit. When the opportunity to put it on this Saturday presented itself, she jumped at the chance.
“I love doing it and I love bringing people out and remembering,” Norkum said. “One year I had the antipasto table under a big trellis with vines that we could roll up to the bar. COVID just put a damper on things. And, and we want to get people out again, don’t we? We don’t want them to be afraid.
The evening will feature DJ Luc Chalifoux of Midnight Express who will dance to traditional Italian songs and current music. Cultural favorites include “Calabrisella Mia” (my beloved Calabria) and Tarantella.
The event attracts couples between the ages of 25 and 75, but Norkum insists singles are also welcome.
“I know a gentleman who leaves and he leaves because he is Calabrian,” she said. “And he wants to enjoy the meal and the company. And that’s what it’s all about: friends and sharing food and culture, and what we’ve been up to over the past year.
For the Dante Club, this has included modernizing and expanding their takeout business, and creating a social media presence and a new website, said club president Sam Rizzuto. , to the Daily Press.
Content of the article
Before the pandemic, the club relied on word of mouth, tradition and a volunteer telephone committee to sell its volunteer-made sausages. This month, after posting on social media, 1,200 pounds of sausages sold out in one day. Now people are calling to join a waiting list for the next sale.
As a banquet hall, the club lost 90% of its business at the start of the pandemic. Thanks to take-out sales, a dedicated army of 50 grassroots volunteers and help from the government, the Porcupine Dante Club is ready to welcome the community back.
“We’re actually excited to be able to host Calabrese Night again because it’s our passion, to have fun in our culture,” Rizzuto said.
Rizzuto is also pleased that since going digital, more people have realized that the Dante Club is a restaurant as well as a banquet hall.
Norkum, a dental receptionist, was born in Sambiase, Calabria, and came with her family in the 1950s when her father found work at a steel mill in Welland, in the Niagara region. She met her husband, Mark (President of GORF Manufacturing) at school and moved to Timmins.
She still visits her hometown in Italy every two years, where she has family.
With his hardworking committee, Norkum has been organizing Calabrese Night for 10 years, after former committee members began to retire.
“I wanted it to continue because those are my roots,” she said. “A lot of clubs don’t exist anymore. We want to maintain the tradition and we want the Italians to be strong.”
Tickets for “Welcome Back to Calabria” are available by calling the club at 705-264-3185.
Cocktails are at 5 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m.
