The muffuletta sandwich was born here and it should be celebrated here, so says Mark Subervielle, owner of Nor-Joe Import's, who is putting on a Muffuletta Festival on Sunday (Sept. 10). The festival, organized by Subervielle and Jared Zeller, will pay tribute to the sandwich as well as Italian-American contributions to New Orleans area food and culture.

The one-day festival, which runs from noon to 9 p.m., will be held on Frisco Avenue in Old Metairie, with music, bocce ball and lots of food, including muffuletta sandwiches, dips and pastas. The muffuletta, a sandwich of deli meats, cheese and flavorful olive salad, was born in New Orleans, with many saying it was first made in the early 1900s at Central Grocery Co. on Decatur Street. Salvatore Lupo, the store owner, reportedly decided to combine foods favored by Sicliian-Americans into one, easily portable sandwich.