As Mayor Bobby Gutierrez likes to say, “Leave Bryan better than you found it,” and the local Italian community in Bryan, Texas, is doing just that!  Owner of Zeitman’s Grocery, Blake Zeitman, is helping plan the first annual Festa Italiana, a food and heritage festival celebrating Bryan’s rich Italian culture.

In the late 1880s, Italian-owned businesses in the area began to grow after a large influx of Sicilian immigrants settled in the Brazos Bottoms in search of fertile land and a shared community. Today, the small town in the heart of the Brazos Valley in eastern central Texas is proud to highlight all the incredible contributions the Sicilians brought with them. 

Zeitman, who owns the popular Jewish/Italian deli on Main Street, recalls attending Italian festivals while growing up on the east coast. After talking with many Sicilian families in Bryan and gaining such tremendous feedback, the idea of an Italian festival in Downtown Bryan came to fruition! “It is important to celebrate the past and live in the present,” said Zeitman, a history buff who loves talking to the local community about their Italian roots. “Many community members brought life to this community, like my mom’s neighbor, Nunzio Martino, who helped many local families start their businesses.” 

On Saturday, June 10, 2023 (10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) in Historic Downtown Bryan on Main Street (between Wiliam J. Bryan and West 24th), the first annual Festa Italiana will showcase some of the local Italian community’s favorite foods, products, and services. In addition, this family-friendly day will include a Bocce Ball tournament, Pasta Eating Contest, Italian dancers, Pasta Art for kids, and of course, some of the best gelato around!

This important event is only possible with so many community members and helpers! From the Title Sponsors - Cherry Ruffino Team, Ruffino Meats & Readfield Meat Market, Scarmardo’s Produce & Farm Patch Market, and Messina Hof Winery - to the helpers on the ground like Katelyn Brown at Destination Bryan, this is a labor of love and will that welcomes neighbors, friends, and relatives to partake in a celebratory day filled with delicious food, family fun, games, contests, and so much more!

As a bonus, proceeds from the event will go to Poggioreale in America’s College Scholarship program and other local charity organizations. Poggioreale in America, a 503(c)(3) co-founded by Ross Todaro and Tina Todaro Anderson (whose families both came from Poggioreale, Sicily), will also have a booth at the event. Their annual scholarship program awards funds to incoming and current college students and PIA is humbled to be a recipient. 

It is challenging to discuss Bryan without mentioning the town’s unofficial slogan - A Legend Reborn. At the forefront of these converging cultures is this hardworking and tenacious group of Italians who never stop working. Knowing they will celebrate Bryan’s first annual Festa Italiana is exciting! Hope to see you there!

**Although the event is free, food, beverages, and contest sign-ups can be purchased at the event. Also, limited booths and sponsorships are still available. For more information, please contact Blake Zeitman at [email protected]. 

–Sarah Campise Hallier’s family emigrated from Poggioreale, Sicily, to Bryan, Texas, in 1883. Her family moved to California in 1930, where they still live today. Sarah still has many family members and friends in the Bryan area and enjoys visiting where her Sicilian family lived for many years.