john pirelli | Dayton937

Mark DaGrossa – The Master of the Holy Cannoli

You may have called him Santa. You may have heard him on the Gem City Podcast. You may have seen him on Youtube with “Epic and The Beard.” Mark DaGrossa is one of those Daytonians who you see everywhere. Whether at the Italian Club playing bocce, working a festival, or on a Food Adventure at one of his favorite restaurants in Dayton, Mark is always on the move. Besides working for Folio DesignHaus, Mark is a dedicated husband, son and father, a family man if you will.

We don’t know where YOU may have seen him, but WE will always remember him as “The Man Who Cooks the Holy Cannoli.”

The Holy Cannoli is a lot like bigfoot. It is mysterious and not many people have seen it….

Monty Python had the Holy Grail and the holy hand grenade, but Garlic Fest has the Holy Cannoli !

A six pack of Holy Cannoli

HERE’S THE SKINNY ON “THE HOLY CANNOLI”:

— What is a Holy Cannoli? It is a cannoli shell filled with ricotta cheese and cream, sometimes garnished with chocolate chips, that is dipped in breading and deep fried on the spot. The result after a few minutes is a gooey, gorgeous, piece of heaven.

— Long time Sons of Italy member, Kevin Sorice actually came up with the idea of a deep fried cannoli. So let’s give credit where credit is due.

Mark’s daughter, Caitlin Preparing Cannoli

— Where can I get a Holy Cannoli? The answer is at GARLIC FEST, SUNDAY JULY 17th from noon-9pm. Mark your calendar for this one.

The HOLY CANNOLI is a “MUST EAT” on Garlic Fest Weekend come enjoy the 3 day event and make your own Food Adventure !

—FRIDAY JULY 15th 5pm-9pm– FOOD TRUCK RALLY, BOCCE BASH, LIVE MUSIC and BEER TRUCKS –

— SATURDAY JULY 16th – BOCCE CLASSIC TOURNAMENT, STEAK DINNER at BELLA VILLA HALL –

Chef House and “Holy Cannoli Dipper” Mark DaGrossa

— SUNDAY JULY 17TH – GARLIC FEST – FOOD VENDORS, COOKING DEMOS, BEER TRUCKS, FREE DANGER BROTHERS CONCERT, BOCCE CLASSIC FINALS, GARLIC EATING CONTEST, GARLIC QUEEN, and more!

Admission is FREE so join The Big Ragu, Chef House and Hungry Jax at the Food Truck Rally and Garlic Fest on July 15-17th.

Meet the man, the myth, the legend.. Mark DaGrossa.. “The Man who dip-eth the Holy Cannoli.” Make sure you order some of this sinful goodness. They are rich, delicious and they melt in your mouth! It is a religious experience and a great invention! Thanks to Mark and the workers in the booth, without you, they are just plain cannoli….

“Like” our Food Adventures blog on Facebook by clicking here – we have a lot of original content to

Thumbs up for a great Holy Cannoli at Garlic Fest

offer !

Hungry Jax and her family with Santa DaGrossa

Big Ragu with Kevin Sorice – the brains behind the Holy Cannoli

Before the battering

Holy Cannoli Booth

Take this, batter this, fry this and eat this…

Ladies and Gentleman, we present the Holy Cannoli

Last Year’s signage

Gem City Podcast Crew

John Pirelli Lodge President, Jim Balsamo at the Sons of Italy Bocce Courts

One of America’s biggest Bocce Ball tournaments is coming to Dayton, and it is all about respect, capeesh? Respect the balls, the court, the tradition and a game where anyone can play and be competitive. The Food Adventures Crew will be a big part of this weekend which also includes a Friday food truck rally and Sunday’s Garlic Fest.

The John Pirelli Lodge/Sons of Italy will be hosting the 2016 Bocce Classic from July 15th – July 17th this year, and they are looking for players! This annual event draws young and old from many states. Even players from Canada drive down to attend, and you can participate too !

Which one is closer?

Teams of 4 will descend upon the bocce courts behind the Bella Villa Hall and will be rolling balls from morning ’til night. Some of you may know this site as the same spot of Dayton’s Italian Festival aka the “Fall Festa.” 2015 Bocce Classic Champions, The Doepker Family and Scott Davis look to defend their title, in what promises to be a fun-filled tournament weekend.

Not sure how to play bocce ball? It is easy to start. It is a mixture of bowling and shuffleboard. The object of the game is to roll your four bocce balls as close to the little “pallino” ball as possible, while preventing your opponents from doing the same. It is that simple. Many players develop their own strategies and rolling styles. Want to learn the rules of Bocce ? Then click here for the Dayton’s Bocce Classic Rules Page.

Brian Andzik is a Bocce Regular

Want to know more about The Bocce Classic, one of the feature Bocce Ball Tournaments in the United States?

HERE IS THE SKINNY:

WHAT: THE BOCCE CLASSIC, a BOCCE BALL TOURNAMENT

WHERE: 2625 County Line Rd, Dayton, Ohio

WHEN: 3 day tournament starts evening of July 15th, and ends in the Championship Game, Sunday Evening July 17th

HOW: CLICK THIS LINK to SIGNUP YOUR TEAM

COST: $270 per team, includes a steak dinner Saturday night, beer cups, and discounted drink prices during Sons of Italy’s Food Truck Rally July 15th and Garlic Fest, July 17th. Sounds like a Food Adventure, so The Big Ragu, Chef House and Hungry Jax will be there.

Bocce Ball

WHY: A significant portion of the proceeds go to local scholarships and local charities

They are expecting about 60-70 teams of four to participate in this year’s event. There is even a BEGINNER BOCCE BASH Friday night hosted by UpDayton, 5pm-9pm.

HISTORY OF BOCCE BALL IN DAYTON:

Thirty years ago the Bella Villa Hall had 2 bocce courts. The floors of the courts were sand and limestone dust. They would have to bring out a rug and a rope, and drag it up and down to smooth the court between matches. Now the courts are made from artificial turf.

Then in 1995, the John Pirelli Lodge in Dayton Ohio, decided to host a tournament to promote the game and their Italian heritage. There were five clay courts and 40 teams. Orignal Bocce Classic Founders Ed Guerriero, Pat Mosconi and Mike Longo grew the tournament and it is now the unofficial “Ohio State Championship of Bocce”

Now, The Bocce Classic is a 3 day event played with over 60 teams and attended by thousands of spectators. There are now six partially covered bocce courts that even have night lighting. The Italian lodge looks to keep the feel of the original tournament while introducing bocce ball to more people in the Miami Valley. Pasta, steak dinners, and authentic Italian food help make a great bocce tournament.

2016 may be the “Year of the Bocce Ball” in Dayton, with all of this added interest. But for some, it has been a tradition for decades. Let’s meet some of Dayton’s bocce legends and purists.

DAYTON’S BOCCE’S “MUST MEETS”

— EDDIE “BOOM BOOM” GUERRIERO: This mild-mannered fixture at the Sons of Italy love the bocce and food as well. One of the founding members of the tournament, he is still active in bocce and lodge committees. We don’t know why he is called “boom boom.” We will leave that up to your imagination.

Rinaldo Stolfo with Kevin Sorice, Bocce Classic Chairman

— RINALDO STOLFO: This active 86 year old has played in the bocce league for 10 years and is an avid ping pong player with his partner who, get this… is 94 years old. He likes bocce because you meet a lot of new friends. Many of you Rinaldo as the former owner of his famous Dayton bakery which he retired last year.

— JIM BALSAMO: Current President of the lodge and bocce enthusiast who tells us his father got him into the game. Jim loves bocce ball because anyone can play, “16 years old to 86, male, female, it doesn’t matter.” Jim also says just because you have experience, sometimes is doesn’t matter. Games can take twists and turns. Jim says “One minute you think you’ve got it figured out and the bocce gods look down on you and that’s all she wrote.” Jim also notes that sometimes you gotta teach the players to add the scores correctly, even the veterans forget.

Bocce Classic Coming July 15- July 17th

— BRIAN ANDZIK: Bocce League veteran who has not missed one game in 17 years. He even played a season on crutches. Now that’s dedication, folks. Brian has also been a leader on the lodge council. He got to play on one of the original teams with the legendary DiPasquale brothers.

— TONY CICERO: From Racine, Wisconsin has played bocce his whole life. Tony has won bocce classic twice. He says playing helps, as he grew up with a bocce court in back yard. It is a game of strategy. A feel comes naturally, he says.. Tony’s wife plays in the women’s league and was the MVP of her team.

— NICK D’AMICO: Nick has been helping out with the Special Olympics Bocce Ball for 20 years. Last year they had 78 athletes

Championship Roll – John Doepker 2015 Bocce Classic Champ

with special needs play bocce ball in the Olympics. Nick has been playing bocce ball all of his life. He remembers playing in alleys as a kid on Stone Mill Road.

— THURSDAY is WOMENS LEAGUE at the John Pirelli Lodge – and we will have a full report on them, soon !

So now you know a little more about Dayton area bocce and its tradition. Come out and watch the Bocce Classic , or enter the tournament. They would love to have you.

Want to join the Italian Club? You must have Italian lineage in your family, and the cost is $40 per year. Club members are eligible to play in a bocce league that costs $40 a year.