The Amerigo Vespucci Society (AVS), located on Willow Avenue in Long Branch - New Jersey and incorporated in 1893, held its annual Tripe Dinner this past October 24th. The historic traditional dinner originally began over 60 years ago by the late Thomas Gagliano Sr., a stone mason who arrived from the small town of Miglierina which is located in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region of Italy.

He settled in Long Branch - New Jersey and built a house in 1925, on the corner of Rockwell Avenue and Vanderveer Place. His son, the late S. Thomas Gagliano, a was a retired attorney and a former New Jersey State Senator. The Senator and his sons would participate in the annual tripe event each year which has grown into a local 'who's-who' in the community.

This year, the Gagliano sons honored their late father (Senator Gagliano) by attending the dinner which the society held specifically in the month of October to celebrate Italian-American Heritage month.

This years event was extra special according to AVS President Joseph Sirianni who stated, "The 'Gagliano Family Tripe Dinner' this year not only honored the Gagliano's but also celebrated all of the Italian immigrants who legally came to the United States without the knowledge of the English language and without significant education or resources. They worked hard, sacrificed for their families, dealt with significant and cruel discrimination, and created a better life for their descendants." The society Vice President Joseph Mossa added, "Having this post-Covid dinner symbolized for me that we are still here, still dedicated to our Italian and Italian American roots, and still appreciative of those members like the late Tom Gagliano who was a role model to many of us." Tom Gagliano's son Robert stated, "We miss my father tremendously however we know he was looking down in pride to see the society keeping his and his fathers tripe dinner celebration alive and well."

AVS member Leonardo "Lenny" Giordano, restaurant proprietor and chef, was the head of the kitchen detail again this year. Lenny was assisted by fellow AVS members Joseph Sirianni, Chief Joe Valentino, Joseph Mossa, Frank DeVito, Joseph Valentino, Fred Migliaccio, Peter Francaviglia, and Frank Valentino. While tripe is the main course the meal also included an antipasto, a pasta dish, pastries and cookies supplied by Caputo's Pastry Shoppe (located in Long Branch New Jersey), espresso, and an abundance of various Italian wines and spirits.

For those who aren't familiar with Tripe, it's the lining of the cows stomach. Cooking the tripe, over 120 pounds (54 kilograms) of it, involves a long process which includes the soaking of the tripe, cleaning it, cutting it up, and then boiling it. Of course the Tripe is then added to homemade Italian tomato sauce and some diced vegetables for that extra great flavor. The process of cleaning the tripe alone can take up to half a day. Chef Giordano takes artistic liberty and puts his own unique spin on the dish and adding ingredients to accentuate the flavors. Chef Giordano stated, "I enjoy personalizing the dish and the meal. At the end of the event there wasn't any left which is the best compliment any chef can ask for." When asked why he donated so much time in preparing the meal Chef Giordano stated, "It is an honor, as a native of Italy born and raised in Castellamare del Golfo located in the Trapani province of Sicily, an Italian-American, and as a member of this great organization, to be a part of an event that has continued for so many years. I travel from Staten Island New York each year to honor a great man, Tom Gagliano, and to celebrate my heritage with my fellow Amerigo Vespucci Society members."

The event provides an opportunity for approximately one hundred men, mostly of Italian heritage, to join together for an evening of authentic traditional southern Italian food. Many also take advantage of bringing plenty of their own homemade wines. The room was filled with laughter, stories, and tradition. Many of the men who attended fondly remember attending this event with their fathers and grandfathers. AVS Orator Frank Crupi - Esquire, stated, "We could have this event at a restaurant however we keep it authentic and invest a lot of time preparing the room and trying to make all of our guests feel relaxed, comfortable, and at home in our facility. I believe this is why the event sells out each year within days."

Among the various AVS guests were: New Jersey State Senator Vin Gopal, Monmouth County Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone, Long Branch City Mayor John Pallone, Ocean Township Councilman Rob Acerra Sr., Simon Salerno M.D. Neurosurgery, Vincent Lantieri M.D. (Founder of the NJ Center for Prostate Cancer & Urology), Father John Dombroski who led the group in prayer, and last but not least, the Gagliano family.

The AVS takes its name from the famous 15th century Italian explorer and map maker. The AVS has a long history dating back to its founding members in 1875 who all originated from Calabria Italy. The organization was originally established as a mutual aid society where Italian men could congregate, escape from discrimination and anti-Italianism that began during the period of large-scale Italian immigration during the late 19th century. Since that time the society members have made it a priority to assist each other and their families when there was/is no other place to turn. Today, the AVS continues to be a mutual aid society as well as a 501(c)3 organization assisting individuals and organizations in the community and providing educational scholarships. They are active in combating pervasive negative stereotyping and defamation of Italian Americans in the media and promote the extraordinary history and accomplishments of Italians and Italian-Americans. They also promote the admiration, general appreciation and love of Italy, its culture, society, arts and people. The AVS joins other local and national organizations in promoting Italo-philia and combating anti-Italianism.