If there is one event that sums up Griffith, Rocco Spagnolo reckons the annual Salami Festival comes pretty close.
“It was an amazing day,” Mr Spagnolo says.
“You look around and there are people you have known for years, families sitting together and visitors who have come to Griffith for the weekend.
“Everyone is having a good time and the reviews get better every year.
“That is what Griffith does really well. Food, wine, music and people. You put them all together and we know how to have a party.”
Hundreds of people enjoyed the sunshine at the Yoogali Club Oval for the sold-out Festa Del Salsicce E Salami on Sunday August 30, with its famous long lunch and the serious business of deciding who makes Griffith’s best homemade salami.
For Rocco Spagnolo, the festival is also a reminder of the food traditions that have been part of Italian family life in Griffith for generations.
“Making salami was just something families did,” Rocco says.
“Everybody had their own recipe and their own way of doing it.
“And, of course, everybody thought theirs was the best.
“You would talk about how much salt went into it, how it was prepared and how long you would hang it.
“Every family had those little things they did differently.”
For Rocco Spagnolo, reviews of the finished product were part of the tradition too.
“Everybody had a review,” Mr Spagnolo says.
“You would taste somebody else’s salami and you would have an opinion.
“They would taste yours and they would have an opinion too.
“That was part of the fun.
“People took a lot of pride in what they made.”
Mr Spagnolo says it is wonderful to see younger generations continuing those traditions.
“That is what I like about something like the Salami Festival,” Rocco says.
“You see younger people interested in making salami and learning how their parents and grandparents did it.
“They are talking about the recipes, they are comparing them and they are getting reviews and advice from other people.
“That keeps the tradition alive.”
The annual homemade salami competition remains one of the highlights of the festival, with judging completed the day before the long lunch.
“There is a serious side to the judging because people really do want to make a good salami,” Rocco says.
“They want a good review from the judges.
“But there will always be plenty of reviews around the tables as well.
“That is the Italian way. Everybody has an opinion about the food.”
Mr Spagnolo says those conversations are about much more than salami.
“Food brings people together,” Rocco says.
“You sit around a table and you talk.
“You have your family there, you have your friends there and you share the food.
“That is something that has always been very important to us.
“So when I see hundreds of people doing that together at an event in Griffith, I think it is wonderful.”
Roy agrees.
“The festival brings all of those things together,” Roy says.
“You have got food, local wine, music, families and a lot of people who have known each other for years.
“Then you have got visitors coming into Griffith and experiencing it as well.
“That is why it works.”
This year there was another attraction, with Roy’s close friend and client, podcaster and former Today Show host Karl Stefanovic, joining the festivities.
“Karl loves Griffith,” Rocco says.
“He knows a lot of people here now and people know him.
“He does not come down and hide in a corner.
“He gets amongst everyone, talks to people, has the photos and gives everyone a bit of cheek.
“He fits in pretty well.
“He keeps coming back, so I reckon that is a pretty good review of Griffith.”
Karl took to the microphone to help auction the winning salami, which sold for $11,000.
But that was not his only performance of the weekend.
“With Bill Calabria and me on guitar, Karl started singing Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues at Calabria Family Wines and Karl’s niece Eevee joined him on vocals,” Roy says.
“They started singing and away we went.
“You never quite know what is going to happen when Karl gets hold of a microphone.
“I have played guitar for a long time but I cannot say I ever expected to be backing Karl Stefanovic singing Johnny Cash.
“We had a lot of fun with it.”
Karl returned for round two at the Salami Festival on Sunday, this time launching into the Rat Pack classic That’s Amore.
“He was right into it,” Roy says.
“Once Karl starts, you just let him go.
“Everyone had their phones out filming him and everyone loved it.
“If you were giving him a review, he would get a pretty good one.”
Rocco laughs.
“It was not too serious and that is what the whole weekend is about.
“You come along, you eat too much, probably drink a bit too much wine, listen to the music and catch up with people.”
Music has long been one of Roy’s passions and across the Taste of Italy weekend he was back on guitar, including performing with local band Memory Lane alongside Joe Casella, Sam and Tennyson Davey, Joe Musitano, Jenna Woodland and Bill Calabria of Calabria Wines.
“I love playing music and I love doing it with friends,” Roy says.
“You look around and everyone is smiling and singing along.
“You do not need to read too many reviews to know people are having a great time.”
For Rocco Spagnolo, the popularity of the festival is another example of how Griffith’s Italian traditions have become part of the wider community.
“It is not only Italian families enjoying these things now,” Rocco says.
“Everybody comes.
“People want to try the food and the wine and they want to be part of the celebration.
“I think that is a very good thing.
“These traditions started in families but now they are part of Griffith.”
Mr Spagnolo says he particularly enjoys seeing people travel to the city and discover what the region has to offer.
“When visitors come here, they get to see Griffith for themselves,” Mr Spagnolo says.
“They can go to the restaurants and wineries, try the local produce and meet the people.
“Then they can make their own review.
“I think the reviews of Griffith are usually pretty good.”
Roy agrees that events such as A Taste of Italy give visitors a different view of his hometown.
“People might know Griffith for agriculture or wine but there is much more to the place,” Roy says.
“We have got great restaurants, great wineries, great produce and a community that really supports things.
“When people come here for these events, they see that.
“They see how friendly Griffith is.
“You can tell people how good Griffith is, but I would rather they come here and review it for themselves.”
And after another sell-out Salami Festival, Rocco Spagnolo’s review is straightforward.
“It was a great celebration,” Rocco says.
“People enjoyed themselves, they enjoyed the food and they were together with family and friends.
“For me, that is what it is all about.”
As for Karl Stefanovic’s review of the weekend, Roy reckons that is fairly clear too.
“I think Karl had a pretty good one,” Roy laughs.
“He says he has more time to go to sausage festivals these days.
“Based on his review of this one, I think we will be seeing him again.
“We will certainly make sure there is a spot for him next year.”
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LATEST NEWS
Griffith Annual Salami Festival: A Griffith Community Highlight
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Roy (Rocco) Spagnolo Reviews the Griffith Annual Salami Festival And The Inclusion of Good Friend and Client, Karl Stefanovic.
Hundreds of people from Griffith, Victoria and surrounding communities enjoyed the magnificent weather at the Yoogali Club Oval for the sold-out Festa Del Salsicce E Salami on Sunday, 30th August, with its famous long lunch and the serious business of deciding who makes Griffith’s best homemade salami - a highlight of the event.
A Reminder Of Italian Family Life And Generational Traditions
Roy (Rocco) Spagnolo talks about the annual tradition of the Griffith Annual Salami Festival.
An important part of the history is Roy's long association with the event. And at the centre of its origin is that very simple story - The first Griffith salami festival was in the year 2000 as a result of friendly competitions between Roy Catanzariti and the late Tony Fattore about whether Calabria or Abruzzo made the better salami.
Officially known as Festa delle Salsicce / Festa del Salsicce e Salami, this annual Griffith event has grown to be a tourism event from something that started between friends to become an important part of Griffith's cultural identity.
SBS, along with other publications such as The Farmers Magazine, has described Roy as having organised the event from its inception. This event is very important to Roy Spagnolo and his family legacy.
While it all started in 2000 when Roy and Tony debated who made the best salami, the first year attracted around 12 - 13 salami competition entries and now attracts entries Australia wide and attracts attendances reaching 1000 people. The event quickly became an important part of Griffith's A Taste of Italy celebration.
The festival is a fun community event bringing together community, different food, music, family fun and fundraising.
Griffith, in Regional NSW, Australia, was transformed by irrigation, agriculture and migration. Families travelled to Griffith seeking opportunity, worked hard, built businesses and became a part of the community that had welcomed them. For this reason, Mr Spagnolo, Accountant, Musician and staunch community member, and the Spagnolo Family give back to the Griffith community as much as possible.
Joining Roy at this year's Salami Festival was Roy Stefanovic, who has developed a special relationship with the community in Griffith. Mr Roy Spagnolo says: “I think Karl had a pretty good one,” he laughs. “He says he has more time to go to sausage festivals these days. “Based on his review of this one, I think we will be seeing him again.
“We will certainly make sure there is a spot for him next year.”
Read more about what Roy Spagnolo has to say about this fabulous yearly event.
Roy (Rocco) Spagnolo, Local Accountant, Celebrates Griffith's Salami Festival
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Roy (Rocco) Spagnolo and Karl Stefanovic Celebrate Griffith Tradition
Accountant Roy (Rocco) Spagnolo shares his review of Griffith's Salami Festival, joined by long-time friend and client Karl Stefanovic for a sold-out celebration of Griffith's Italian heritage and community.
Food, wine, music, family and plenty of opinions on salami - for Roy (Rocco) Spagnolo, Griffith's annual Salami Festival captures the spirit of his hometown.
A Tradition Worth Celebrating
For Roy (Rocco) Spagnolo, the Griffith Salami Festival is about far more than deciding who makes the best homemade salami.
“You look around and there are people you have known for years, families sitting together and visitors who have come to Griffith for the weekend,” Mr Spagnolo says.
“Everyone is having a good time and the reviews get better every year.”
The Griffith accountant grew up with the tradition of families making their own salami, each with different recipes, techniques and strong opinions about the finished product.
“Everybody had a review,” Roy says. “You would taste somebody else's salami and you would have an opinion. They would taste yours and they would have an opinion too.”
This year's festival also welcomed Roy's long-time friend and client Karl Stefanovic, who helped auction the winning salami for $11,000 and entertained festival-goers with an impromptu rendition of That's Amore. A highlight can be found on the Spagnolo Family Legacy YouTube Channel.
“Karl loves Griffith,” Roy says. “He gets amongst everyone, talks to people, has the photos and gives everyone a bit of cheek.”
For Mr Spagnolo, the festival's continuing popularity shows how traditions that began within Griffith's Italian families have become part of the wider community.
“You can tell people how good Griffith is, but I would rather they come here and review it for themselves,” Roy says.
Read the full story of Roy (Rocco) Spagnolo, Karl Stefanovic and the Griffith Salami Festival.
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