By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
VENTNOR – The sounds of Sinatra, Dean Martin and Bobby Darin were the lead-in to a few of the latest line dance tunes Sunday, Oct. 3 as the Ventnor City community came together for its first-ever Mangia, Mangia Community Dinner.
The Sunday gravy event, organized by City Administrator Maria Mento and Red Room Café’s Maria Gatta, was a way to thank the community for a great year, according to Mayor Beth Holtzman and Commissioners Lance Landgraf and Tim Kriebel.
When the mayor asked her to create an event that would bring the community together for a day of friendship, food and music, Mento immediately knew she would replicate a spaghetti dinner she attended in Haddon Heights. She even hired the same entertainer, vocalist and DJ Vic Rubino, who sang the American Songbook before turning his laptop loose on some dance tunes.
Gatta’s son Vincent, the chef at the Dorset Avenue BYOB, cooked up some antipasto platters, a crunchy salad, and spaghetti topped with two large and tasty meatballs. Sasscers Cheesecake, which recently opened the doors to their bakers, provided the most scrumptious desserts, including its famed Tiramisu.
Red Room, Rando’s Bakery and Chef’s Warehouse donated all that was necessary to make the Sunday supper enjoyable for all and the Ventnor City Farmers Market volunteer team put it all together.
Long tables were set up under a tent in the middle of Monmouth Avenue, after the city’s public safety officials and the commissioners agreed to allow the street to be closed to traffic for the day.
At one point, when the spaghetti and meatballs were served, Rubino broke into everyone’s favorite Dean Martin tune, “That’s Amore,” which prompted those assembled to sing along. Diners also helped the Neil Diamond tune, “Sweet Caroline,” never seem “so good, so good, so good.”
“It was such a fun day and a great idea to get the community out and having fun,” Pat Petrella posted on the Ventnor City Facebook page. “Ventnor has really outdone itself this year. Great summer concerts, seafood festival and Sunday dinner…family style…under the Red Room tent. Let’s do it again.”
Organizers said they hoped it would become an annual event. Although only 100 tickets were for the dinner, they may increase the seating to 200 in 2022.
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