SPAGHETTI WESTERN
Wednesday, April 19 at 6 pm • At the KCIC Hall & Via Zoom

SPECIAL GUESTS

JOEY VECCHIO
Joey (Giuseppina) Vecchio has been a lifelong Kelowna resident. Born in 1957, she was raised and educated in Kelowna. She received her Bachelor of Education degree from S.F.U. and taught in S.D. #23 area schools for 37 years.

She has always been very proud of her Italian heritage; being involved with K.C.I.C. since the 1970s, and gaining dual citizenship with Italy in 1995.

Her experience with the eatery business began early, living in the back quarters of 'Al's Cafe' for the first three years of her life, then working there on weekend and summers during her teen years. Later, in 1980, her parents built a restaurant. She joined her family to operate 'Cafe Bella Bimba', specializing in Southern Italian food. It sold in 1990, and she has since retired from teaching.

Joey is the proud mother of five children and doting Nonna to three grandsons. They all participate in the grand annual project of creating homemade spaghetti sauce!
MARIA CIONI
Maria was born and educated in Calgary, Alberta.  She received her doctorate from Cambridge University and has published in her research area of British sixteenth century socio-legal history.  

Her story of family, cultural identity and Calgary, Spaghetti Western: How My Father Brought Italian Food to the West, was published in 2006.

Subsequently, she has written articles and contributed to collections on Italian Food in Calgary.  

​Maria teaches communications to Engineers at the University of Toronto. She is a founding member and Secretary of the Italian-Canadian Archives Project (ICAP.ca)
PictureIda and Albert Vecchio
"Imagine that Italian food did not exist — that spaghetti, ravioli and chicken cacciatore could not be found on any menu. This was the situation in Calgary, Alberta until 1949, when an Italian immigrant, Genesio (Gene) Cioni, opened the first Italian restaurant."
- from Maria Cioni - Spaghetti Western
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As common as it seems today, Italian cuisine was virtually unknown in Western Canada in the period just after World War II. 

Although they didn't know each other, Gene and Martha Cioni in Calgary and Albert and Ida Vecchio in Kelowna were following similar paths. The Vecchios opened Al's Cafe in Winfield in 1948 and the Cionis opened their first Italian restaurant in Calgary in 1949. A few years later Gene and Martha would open Gene's La Villa on the outskirts of the booming city.  Both families ensured their establishments would become the hub of their respective communities.

For us here at the KCIC, Albert was a past president and Ida was instrumental in initiating Italian heritage and cultural presentations for the community. We strive to continue the work they both pioneered and we miss them both greatly!

Join us for this very special presentation, as Maria Cioni (via Zoom) and Joey Vecchio (daughters of Gene and Martha Cioni and Ida and Albert Vecchio) join us to share the story of what would become cultural touchstones in Western Canada - the sharing of food and hospitality!

NOTE: Maria Cioni's book - Spaghetti Western: How My Father Brought Italian Food to the West is available in paperback and audio book format on Amazon.ca
Picture
The Cioni Family at La Villa (L-R) Gary, Gene, Maria and Martha
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