Holy cannoli

We visited the Niagara County Italian Festival on Saturday. The flyer said it started around 10 a.m. at Academy Park in Lewiston. Our idea was, as regular Lewiston Artisan Farmers Market patrons, to hit the Festival first before heading to the Presbyterian Church where the market had moved for the day.

We should have known when we were driving in and saw the Pizza Mafia truck ahead of us, the conspicuous signature of Johnny Martino from Mister M’s, home of the best chicken parm most of the time.

Recently, we ordered one and it was mediocre because of the consistency/quality of the chicken. I saw Johnny, picking up bread at DiCamillo’s and asked him about it.

His answer was something like this:

“I have to have a guy come in on Tuesday’s just to process chicken breasts. We get 6 cases. Some weeks he will call me and they are just different. We do the best we can.”

He had owned it, answered it, and not apologized.

This was Carmine Bianco’s first time running the festival in Lewiston. It used to be at Hyde Park and was smaller. At 11 a.m. almost no one was set up. It’s easy to understand why. With the busiest time being late, when Diver Down or Out on the Tiles was playing, being open 12 hours without considering set up or take down is exhausting. Bianco said Fridat night's crowd ending with headliner Diver Down drew about 8,000 visitors.

Most of the stands seemed to be all about food. I had a nice chat with Pat DiLaura. He was the cook at Michael’s on Pine Avenue and now handles the cooking at Culbert’s. We grabbed a pint of beans and greens to take home and will go there for dinner some time soon.

I am always on the lookout for simpler stands, like the people who obviously set up a tent to give it a shot and brought everything in their SUV. You have to have that small-business feel. Crazy Cannoli Lady was just that. A make-your-own cannoli stand with all sorts of toppings. Beth went for Oreo. I took Butterfinger. $5 was a bargain. The owner said she operates out of the Knights of Columbus in Kenmore.

Beth had pizza from Goodfella’s. I had hot sausage and peppers from a stand whose name escaped me.

We chatted a bit with Bianco and asked why there was a no dog rule.

“Because I don’t want dogs here,” he said. “Not everybody likes dogs and even if you pick up after your dog you don’t always get it all and somebody steps in it. I like dogs. I have dogs. But not here.”

We could have a contest between Martino and Bianco to see who can be the biggest stereotype of an alpha Italian male.

The only thing negative for us was later in the day seeing complaints about the festival posted online by Three Sisters Garlic having issues with Bianco. We have been patronizing their stand at the Artisan Farmers Market for at least 4 years. For them to be upset enough to pack up and leave is troubling.

I reached out to Carmine about it. He offered no apology and said he would not give it oxygen. I hope the bad experience of the Three Sisters family does not permanently harm the reputation of Bianco and the festival.