New festival showcases Italian food

Patrick Presley and Justin Acri show off the colors of the Italian flag. The two are pairing up for the inaugural Arkansas Italian Food & Cultural Festival benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Arkansas. The two-day event begins April 20.
Patrick Presley and Justin Acri show off the colors of the Italian flag. The two are pairing up for the inaugural Arkansas Italian Food & Cultural Festival benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Arkansas. The two-day event begins April 20.

North Little Rock is getting ready to turn red, white and -- green. From April 20-21, everything from the bridges over the Arkansas River to the cotton candy carried through the North Shore Riverwalk Park will sport the tricolore -- the colors of the Italian flag -- for the inaugural Arkansas Italian Food & Culture Festival.

"Everybody's Italian for the weekend," says Justin Acri of 103.7 The Buzz, event chairman.

Italian culture and history run deep and wide throughout Arkansas in communities like Pine Bluff, Lake Village, Tontitown and West Memphis. This is an Arkansas festival, not just for Little Rock or central Arkansas and those communities are all gearing up to share their food, games and heritage with everyone.

"We're seeing these little Italian American enclaves all over our relatively small state that are really uniting behind us," says Patrick Presley, director of development for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Arkansas.

The idea actually started with Presley, who is Italian on his mother's side. He saw the Greek Food Festival, Jewish Food Festival, Turkish Food Festival and others and thought there was obviously a market for that sort of event. He also saw it as an opportunity to raise money for the Boys & Girls Clubs, where he believes the stress on family and community is a "natural fit" with the Italian American culture and ideals.

So, he went to Acri, who is "100 percent Italian" on his father's side.

"It went something like this," Presley says. "I said, 'Justin, why is there no Italian food festival in Little Rock, Arkansas?' He said, 'I'm in.' That was it. We never looked back."

They've been hard at work ever since, visiting other festivals such as the one in Memphis, getting Italian restaurants, chefs and food vendors on board and talking to Italian American communities across the state. Acri also drew on his experience growing up in Des Moines, Iowa, where there were two Italian heritage festivals.

Honoring their heritage is something that both men say is important to them.

"I've always identified as Italian," Acri says. "It's always been something I've embraced."

Presley adds, "There's a point where you grow up and you say, 'Wow, I need to do something to preserve this heritage for my kids and their kids and generations into the future.'"

To do that, they're turning the North Little Rock riverfront into a piece of Italy with Italian music, food and games, creating what Acri says will be a multi-sensory experience. "We want you to smell it and hear it and taste it. It's going to be like being at Nonna's on Sunday."

They're planning a big soccer tournament and a bocce ball tournament. They're still working out details on a possible Baggo competition.

Acri says, "Which is, obviously, not Italian but it does end in a vowel ... ."

There will be a kids zone with the usual face painting, inflatables and climbing wall, but it will also have a pizza-dough-throwing station.

One highlight is the big Grape Stomp Challenge. It started out as a possible children's activity or celebrity matchup but it has grown into a multi-pronged series of challenges: Little Rock Fire Department vs. North Little Rock Fire Department, Little Rock Police Department vs. North Little Rock Police Department, North Little Rock High School vs. Central High School.

As for entertainment, throughout the day, DJ Nick Hudson will play Italian music through the decades and, at night, there will be live performances.

But the star attraction will be the food, presented under the supervision of food committee chairman Denis Seyer, the renowned chef behind Jacques & Suzanne.

"A French chef is heading up our Italian food festival," Acri says with a laugh.

But Seyer spent many years in Italy and is very familiar with the culture.

A variety of restaurants and chefs will be the vendors, selling Italian creations familiar and lesser-known to the general public. Look for The Pantry, Southern Table, Ciao Bacci, Raduno and others.

Yes, there will be pizza and pasta. But there will also be dishes including polenta, what Presley calls "Italian grits." And cooks of all types can demonstrate their skills in the Gravy/Sauce Competition.

And sweet teeth can be satisfied with treats such as Italian ice, zeppoles and cannolis.

"I really am excited to see people who've never had cannolis, to see their reaction," Presley says.

Even the pizza should have a more authentic feel. Presley and Acri admit to having high standards when it comes to pizza.

Presley says, "Unless you've had pizza margherita the way it's supposed to taste, you don't know real pizza."

Another local chef, Eric Isaac of Ristorante Capeo, is also very familiar with the food and culture and he'll demonstrate that in tasty fashion in the VIP tent. He's serving up multi-course VIP dinners on both nights, northern cuisine on Friday night and southern on Saturday.

"We'll try to be all things to all people," Acri says, pointing out that there will be food for those who like to stay in their comfort zones, but plenty of options for the more curious and adventurous.

Italian wines and beers will be for sale, with wine from Banfi Wines, Enchanted Evening and commemorative wine bottles by Margie Raimondo of Southern Table.

Arkansas' deep Italian American history will be highlighted at the festival itself and on April 19 with a film celebration at the Clinton Presidential Center. There, they'll screen Moonstruck and Matteo Zengaro's I Sopravvissuti (The Survivors), a documentary that chronicles Italian history and culture in the Delta.

Presley and Acri say that the festival is getting a good bit of attention beyond Arkansas as well. The committee has received help from organizers of the Memphis Italian Festival and the strong Italian communities in cities such as St. Louis have shown interest.

Money raised at the festival through admission fees and a portion of vendor profits will go directly to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Arkansas.

"There's a huge amount of money it takes to run these clubs," Acri says.

Presley says that the Italian festival and the Boys & Girls Clubs are natural partners. Through working with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Arkansas, he has seen "the unbelievable need for structure in young people's lives. A sense of family. You can see it change someone's life. To me, that's a lot of what Italian American culture represents."

They're hopeful this first festival will be a success that will propel them into the future. They already have plans for activity and food additions. But for now, they're focusing on this year and adding members to the Italian American family.

"Our arms are open wide," Presley says. "You will be an honorary Italian for the weekend. You are a member of la famiglia."

The Arkansas Italian Food & Culture Festival, presented by Relyance Bank, will be 4-9 p.m. April 20 and 9 a.m.-9 p.m. April 21 at the North Shore Riverwalk, North Little Rock. Admission is $5, free for ages 5 and under. Visit aritalianfestival.com.

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Patrick Presley, director of development for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Arkansas, and Justin Acri of 103.7 The Buzz, prepare for the Arkansas Italian Food & Culture Festival that will take place April 20-21 at the North Shore Riverwalk Park in North Little Rock.

High Profile on 03/18/2018

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