You may notice people wearing red on Monday in honor of St. Joseph’s Day, also known as the Feast of St. Joseph. People will also be celebrating with a traditional Italian meal and dessert.
The staff at Caruso’s Pastry Shoppe on Bleecker Street in Utica has been busy getting two of their signature pastries ready for the day, Sfingi and Zeppole. They’re also cooking up pasta, beans, Sicilian sausage and bread.
St. Joseph is the patron saint worldwide for workers and people of service. Italians have a special devotion for St. Joseph, but for Uticans, it’s not just about work, faith and food – it’s about the camaraderie.
“It's a big social gathering,” said Mike Paniccia, head pastry chef at Caruso’s Pastry Shoppe. “A lot of Italians from East Utica … now that they've moved to New Hartford, Whitesboro, they all come back and it’s a great day. And we don't cook food per-say; I do this once a year for them.”
Caruso’s Pastry Shoppe will mark its 60th year in business on Friday.
