Festa Italiana, presented by Calypso Lemonades, is calling upon foodies everywhere to participate in its second Chef's Choice Recipe Contest taking place Sunday, July 19 in the Cucina Showcase.

Beginning now through June 15, 2015, Festa Italiana is accepting Italian appetizer ("antipasti") recipe submissions by email or by mail. After the June 15 deadline, a Festa Italiana food committee will select the top five appetizer recipes based on the following criteria: Ease in Preparation, Creativity and "Appetizing" Appearance. The top five recipe participants will be notified by email that their recipe has been selected as a finalist in the contest and will be asked to present their appetizer to a panel of local food experts in front of a live audience in the Cucina Showcase on Sunday, July 19 at 2 p.m.

The judging panel includes:
- Rossella Rago, host of online cooking show "Cooking with Nonna" and celebrity chef
- Lori Fredrich, food and dining writer for OnMilwaukee.com
- Marilynn Mee, Host of mid-day WKLH radio
- Sarah Shumaker, Red Gold Tomato Products

The contest will be led by an emcee and each participant will have the opportunity to explain his/her appetizer as the judges enjoy each recipe. The winner of the Chef's Choice Recipe Contest will receive the second Golden Spoon Award, along with other food-related prizes.

The deadline for entry is June 15, so mark your calendars and get cookin'! To submit a recipe, email your recipe along with a photo to Marie Lieber at [email protected] or mail the recipe and photo to:

ATTN: Marie Lieber
Recipe Contest - Italian Community Center- 631 E. Chicago Street - Milwaukee, WI 53202

Please include the following information in your submission: cook's name, cook's email, address, phone number, recipe title and appetizer recipe. Recipes should include ingredients, measurements, step-by-step preparation, cooking directions and a photo of the dish when finished.

For more information about the Chef's Choice Recipe Contest and how to enter, please visit www.FestaItaliana.com or http://festaitaliana.com/cucina-showcase/chefs-choice-recipe-contest/

Rossella Rago Returns to Cucina Showcase
A Cucina favorite, Rossella Rago, host of online cooking show "Cooking with Nonna," delighted attendees at Festa 2012 and 2013. A winner of the Food Network – 24 Hour Restaurant Battle, Battle Italiano, Rossella was born into a family of culinary aficionado's and food lovers and spent her childhood in the kitchen with her maternal grandmother learning the legacy of recipes passed down through the generations. Her grandmother, who she calls Nonna, taught her about the different regional food styles of Italy. In addition to inspiring grandmothers from around the world to pass down their sacred recipes, entertaining audiences with her show, and popularizing authentic Italian cuisine with Cooking with Nonna, Rossella raises awareness of healthy eating habits for young women everywhere. Rossella is sure to again delight audiences at Festa 2015 Saturday and Sunday! For more information on Rossella, please visit: http://www.cookingwithnonna.com/about/about-rossella-rago.html.

To preview some of Rossella's Festa recipes, click here: http://festaitaliana.com/cucina-showcase/celebrity-chefs/

Cucina Showcase Activities
The Cucina Showcase will again play host to a variety of fun-filled food activities at this year's Festa! On Saturday, July 18 new in 2015 is the first-ever Cannoli Championship Showdown at 3:00 p.m. Festa is bringing its two biggest cannoli eating stars together to face off in a stomach-to-stomach battle of the champions! Reigning Festa Cannoli Champion, Anthony Paulis, looks to break his previous record of 10 ¼ full sized cannoli. If anyone has a chance to take Paulis down, it's Tom McCarten, Minnesota native with a solid track record of 2nd place finishes. Don't miss this epic foodie battle!

The regular Cannoli Eating Contest will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 18. Everyone 18 years or older is welcome to register, simply visit the Cucina Showcase on Saturday to enter your name in the drawing. All cannoli is provided by the Vella family of Peter Sciortino Bakery on Brady Street.

The Kids Pizza Making Contest, sponsored by Due Sorelli and NYPD Pizza, returns on Sunday, July 19 and Festa invites all children ages 5-9 and 10-17 to participate. The annual contest is a fun way for children to create fresh, made-from-scratch pizza in front of the live Cucina Showcase audience. Winners for each age group will receive a prize basket filled with foodie-inspired prizes. For more information, please visit: http://festaitaliana.com/fooddrink/kids-pizza-contest/

A full Cucina Showcase Schedule will be released in the coming weeks.
To view a list of Festa Food partners, please click here: http://festaitaliana.com/fooddrink/menus/

Tickets for Festa Italiana are now on sale. Purchase your advance ticket for $10 now through July 16 at http://www.festaitaliana.com. For ticket questions, please call 414-223-2808.

About Festa Italiana
The 38th annual Festa Italiana takes place at Henry W. Maier Festival Park (Summerfest grounds) on Milwaukee's lakefront. The festival runs Friday, July 17, to Sunday, July 19.

Festa Italiana is the largest Italian event of its kind in America today. The Festival began in 1978 for the purpose of reuniting an Italian community torn apart by urban renewal projects and was the first ethnic festival in Milwaukee. Today, several ethic festivals are celebrated on Milwaukee's lakefront and the city is now widely known as the City of Festivals. Through the dedication of more than 2,000 volunteers, the annual Festa Italiana has become a favorite family event to Milwaukee and surrounding areas.

Please follow Festa Italiana on Twitter @FestaMKE and become a fan of Festa Italiana on
Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/festaitalianamilwaukee. For more information on the festival, please visit www.FestaItaliana.com or call 414-223-2808.

Festa Italiana is sponsored in part by Calypso Lemonade, MillerCoors, Major Goolsby's, PyraMax Bank, Greco and Sons, Potawatomi, Sendiks, Gruber Law Offices, Red Gold Tomato Products, Frigo Cheese, Peter Sciortino Bakery, Annex Wealth Management, Catholic Financial Life and Giuffre Bros. Cranes, Inc.