March 9 may have been National Meatball Day, but on the world stage, numerous news outlets were reporting that Russian forces bombed a maternity and children’s hospital in Mariupol, southern Ukraine. The attack came on the heels of Russia agreeing to a 12-hour pause in hostilities to allow refugees to evacuate towns and cities. It was with this somber news hanging in the air that DiMaggio’s Pizzeria, located at 3 W. Village Green in Hicksville, was hosting a meatball eating/cooking contest in conjunction with the Town of Oyster Bay, with funds raised to be contributed to Ukrainian relief efforts through the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America.
(Photo by Dave Gil de Rubio)
Salvatore Stile, founder and president of Alba Wheels Up International shipping and customs clearance company and new proprietor of DiMaggio’s Pizzeria, served as the day’s emcee. A number of local officials attended including Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino, State Senator Kevin Thomas and council members Laura Maier and Lou Imbroto, both of whom participated in the meatball eating contest.
In a pair of three-minute heats, locals were usurped by the eventual winner, who came in from the City of Brotherly Love. David Brunelli wolfed down a grand total of 23 meatballs, scarfing down a dozen in the first round and 11 in the finals while second-place finisher Tom Harrigan ate a combined 14 (eight in the first round and six in the finals), eclipsing councilman Lou Imbroto, who brought up the rear with a grand total of 12 (seven in the first round and five in the second round). For his efforts, Brunelli pocketed a cool $1,000.
(Photo by Dave Gil de Rubio)
The next event found the proceedings moving from DiMaggio’s packed space to the Double L Tavern, located two storefronts down. It was here where roughly 16 teams signed up to serve up samplings of their favorite homemade meatball recipes to a panel of judges made up of Sopranos star Joseph Gannascoli, local influencer Sal DiBenedetto, competitive eating champion Ed “Cookie” Jarvis, 75 Main Street restaurateur Zack Erdem and radio personalities Rob Rush (94.3 The Shark) and Tommy Conway (103.1 Max FM).
(Photo by Dave Gil de Rubio)
Amid an impromptu karaoke sing-a-long of “New York, New York,” contestants ranging from Patrick, the cook over at Jamaican eatery Uncle Don’s Kitchen on the same strip and a representative from Stew Leonard’s to an assortment of firefighters patiently waited behind long strip tables with their wares in front of them. And each cook had their own philosophy towards making the perfect meatball. For Laura Cantiello, it was a matter of touch and variety.
“My secret is using meatloaf mix along with veal, pork and beef,” she said. “Make sure you don’t handle it too much, otherwise they come out too tough.”
(Photo by Dave Gil de Rubio)
For Huntington’s Karen Ann Campanella, whose roots can be traced to Palermo, Italy, the key starts at home.
“I make them with fresh basil, fresh minced garlic and tomato that I grow in my indoor organic garden,” Campanella shared. “I also use San Marzano tomato sauce and two-thirds veal, so it’s very tender and robust.”
(Photo by Dave Gil de Rubio)
St. James resident and FDNY member of Astoria’s House 262 Joseph Chiodi was far more basic in his approach.
“It’s about the love, the care and the ingredients,” he said. “It also comes down to the toil, effort and who’s making them.”
(Photo by Dave Gil de Rubio)
The judges were just as exacting in what they were looking for in the perfect meatball.
“I’m a man of simple tastes,” Rush admitted. “I’m all about quality of meat and the taste. I love garlic, but not too garlicky and it has to have great sauce.”
Radio running buddy Conway was a little more exacting.
“I like a mixture of things,” he explained. “I think the easiest mistake to make is when the garlic overpowers your meatball. So none of that is happening today. Everyone has a good balance of seasoning. Going too hard on the garlic is easy to do. I want the balance of the seasonings. I want to be able to identify the meats that are in there. Too tight is bad and you don’t want to make the meatballs tight—you want them airy and fluffy.”
With proceeds being raised to support Ukrainian relief funds, local Ukrainian-American Freedom Foundation representative/activist Serge Skylarenko shared his gratitude with the attendees for the event’s efforts being made.
“As you can see I’m emotional,” he said. “I have a lot of family right now in Ukraine. Some of them are in and out of bomb shelters as we speak. These are not your typical bomb shelters—they are just regular basements. Over two million people have already crossed the border to escape the refugee crisis and some of them don’t even have a home to come back to.”
Foundation on the mic
(Photo by Dave Gil de Rubio)
In the end, Chiodi came away with the $1,000 grand prize. With the earlier announcement by Stile that he was contributing $10,000 of his own money to any funds raised for Ukrainian relief efforts through the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, Chiodi followed suit and added his cash prize to the total, which wound up being $22,000.
For Skylarenko, who announced the bombing of the maternity hospital halfway through the event, it was a bittersweet moment and a reminder that March 9 was far more than National Meatball Day.
“I really appreciate what you all have done,” he said. “And while the news isn’t great, understand that the Ukrainian people are fighting for their land, their families, their dignity, their freedom and most importantly, fighting to the death, standing on the front line of democracy.”
Visit www.ucca.org to find out more about the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America.
