NIAF 42nd Anniversary Gala Review

Oh, what a night! On November 4, The National Italian American Foundation’s 42nd Anniversary Gala attracted Italian Americans from across the country and friends from Italy for two days of music, food, friendship, education, entertainment and Italian pride in celebrating our heritage and culture at the Washington Marriot Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The nation’s premier Italian American gathering this year was presented by the 2017 NIAF Region of Honor, Sicily, and Unioncamere Sicilia, the association of Sicily’s Chambers of Commerce.

Highlighting a long weekend of events was Saturday evening’s centerpiece, the formal Awards Gala Dinner, featuring Sicilian fare and recognizing five outstanding honorees who have achieved special distinction and reflect the pride of the Italian and Italian American communities with their outstanding accomplishments. Emceed by Emmy Award-winning journalist and Fox Business Network anchor Maria Bartiromo and NIAF President and Chief Operating Officer John M. Viola, it was an evening that brought more than 1,500 guests to their feet with celebration, laughter and tears.

Opening the evening, Emmy-Award-winning actor, NIAF Celebrity Ambassador and Sicilian American Michael Badalucco welcomed guests with emotional comments about Sicily, quoting lines by Sicilian poet Nino Provensano, who was in the audience.

Next up was young Sicilian tenor Carmelo Sorce, whose rendering of “The Star-Spangled Banner” made everyone stand taller.

Following the invocation by Monsignor Peter J. Vaghi of the Little Flower Parish in Bethesda, Md., co-host Viola, whose colorfully designed Sicilian jacket was the talk of the Gala, stood at the podium with Bartiromo.

After recognizing NIAF Gala Chairman Michael Zarrelli and thanking the evening’s VIPs and Sponsors, the co-hosts yielded to Italy’s Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Vincenzo Amendola, who spoke eloquently of a unified Italy and its gratitude to American soldiers who liberated it during WWII. Quipping that he wished he’d worn his own Sicilian jacket “instead of this very black jacket,” Italy’s Ambassador to the United States, Armando Varricchio, addressed close ties between his country and ours. “Italy is a strong partner and ally of the United States.” he said. “I see many friends here who show how close our relations are.”

As the evening’s primo course of Pasta alla Norma was served, along with a variety of fine wines from Sicily’s Mandrarossa winery, Bartiromo introduced the evening’s first honoree, famed TV Chef Nick Stellino, recipient of the NIAF Special Achievement Award in Humanitarian Service. The chef spoke of his dreams and self-confidence that took him from his native Sicily to America, and inspired him to work his way up “from dishwasher to prep boy and from prep boy to chef,” then to running his own restaurant and to his cooking program on public television.

Philanthropist Jon DeLuca, director at Doctor’s Associates/Subway Restaurants, and son of Subway founder Fred DeLuca, received the NIAF Special Achievement Award in Business. He talked about his late father, who started Subway at age 17, and about the joys and struggles of big Italian family gatherings. “You don’t do this family stuff because it is easy,” he said. “You do it because it is important.”

After DeLuca’s comments, John Viola announced that John DeLuca and the Fred DeLuca Foundation had committed to funding NIAF scholarships of $500,000 over 10 years.

Then, Basil Russo introduced the three finalist filmmakers and their films of the inaugural Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum, a grant to fund creative filmmakers to capture aspects of the Italian American experience.

Following a video presentation of NIAF’s educational programs, the co-hosts gave recognition of the Sergio Franchi Music Scholarship Foundation and its founder, Eva Franchi, who was in the audience. To the audience’s delight, acclaimed tenors James Valenti and Alfio took center stage for a roof-raising melody.

The evening’s next honoree, Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice di Borbone delle Due Sicilie, recipient of NIAF’s Special Achievement Award in Philanthropy, spoke of Sicily and her work in southern Italy.

As the secondo course, Involtini Siciliani serviti con caponata (breaded veal rolled with provolone cheese on caponata) was served, honoree Alessandro Profumo, who received the NIAF Special Achievement Award in Business and Finance.

The evening’s final honoree, acclaimed Italian operatic tenor Vittorio Grigolo, recipient of the NIAF Special Achievement Award in Music, suggested that, looking at the audience, “it looks like Italy [could be] the 51st state of the United States.”

Following the Gala’s Live Auction, which featured once-in-a-lifetime items from an amazing 10-day trip through Italy from Gala sponsor Nero Hotels, to luxury Fregoli handbags valued at thousands of dollars.

With the Gala ending, NIAF Co-chairs Patricia de Stacy Harrison and Gabriel Battista thanked the honorees and guests, and then called outgoing NIAF President John M. Viola out on stage to recognize, as “somebody who set the bar about protecting the Italian American culture.” With the members of the NIAF Board joining them, Harrison and Battista presented an award to Viola representing the many progressive changes he made during six years at the NIAF helm.

Ending the Gala Dinner was crowd favorite Alfio once again getting guests on their feet with some Italian favorites, including “Luna mezz’o mare,” which sent everyone toward the After Party happy! Once again, where guests and late-night celebrators, tambourines embossed with the NIAF logo in hand, sang karaoke and danced to popular Italian and Italian American classics well into the morning!

Saturday’s popular, free, and open-to-the-public Expo Siciliana, each year the largest Italian festival in the Nation’s Capital, attracted more than 3,000 people to its stroll-through marketplace filled with food samplings and wine tastings, lively Italian music, and demonstrations galore.

Overall, this might have been the best Gala Weekend ever, according to many attendees. Start thinking now about joining us next year, October 12-13!

From: http://www.niaf.org/events/events-archive/niaf-42nd-anniversary-gala-review/#ad-image-85