Among the many Facebook Groups dedicated to Sicilian heritage, you'll find only one Sicilian-American Women's Club. With more than 3,600 online followers and about 60 active club members, the Akron, Ohio-based organization was founded in 1934 by a group of Sicilian immigrant women to preserve their cultural heritage and provide a community for those of Sicilian descent. Its motto—fraternity, charity, elevation, and discipline—is embodied by what President Vita Signorino Moore calls "strong-willed and dynamic women."
Moore, who is Sicilian on both sides, with a mother who came to the U.S. as a child from Partanna and a father who arrived as an adult from Marsala, shared more about the club and its activities. She also spoke about how the organization aims to reach younger generations while carrying on traditions. And she expressed her hope for what members will take away.
What were your reasons for joining the club?
It gives me satisfaction to hold on to memories. There's a lady there, and every time I see her, I get tears because she has my grandmother's eyes. She's so sweet, and I look at her, and I'm like, "This is my nonna!"
It's like, why not hang out with a group of ladies who remind you of your relatives? And they act like them. It's comical in a way because they'll say something familiar, or there'll be a hand gesture or something.
I want to preserve that tradition and history there. And why not have that? Everyone asks, "If you could bring someone back…" This is my way of reviving my childhood and memories by attending the meetings and experiencing the culture, people, and their dynamics.
What I enjoy, too, is that when people come, they're always made to feel welcome. We usually introduce them and have them share where they're from. And there's always someone in the group—no matter what—who says, "Yes, I know someone from that area" or "I know exactly where it is."
Some of them have never been to Sicily. It also gives them the gift of, "Oh, this is someone who actually may know or can tell me about my town that you're not going to get from looking online or from a Facebook post or whatever." You're hearing it directly from someone.
The club is passing its recipes and stories onto the next generation.
What are some of your signature events and activities?
On March 12, we had our St. Joseph's dinner. We celebrated St. Joseph Day, which is a big event in Italy. Starting last year, we switched it up a little bit. We all bring in a covered dish, but we also make a donation.
If you look at the authentic St. Joseph's table, it's a presentation of foods that you provide. But we bring canned goods and non-perishable items. One of the ladies is heavily involved with an area organization called Good Neighbors, so we filled a vehicle this year and last with canned food. We donate food to the local communities with our St. Joseph table.
Each month, we'll have a theme depending on what's happening. But the biggest event we all participate in is the Summit County Italian-American Festival, which is generally held in July in downtown Akron. We are known for our cookies. People come from everywhere, and they want our cookies. I would say each member donates anywhere from six to twenty dozen cookies. So we sell quite a few cookies and do pizza fritti and cannoli.
We always have a Christmas party, we have a picnic, and we go on excursions. We've attended several events at the Italian American Museum of Cleveland.
We've brought in speakers, an opera singer, a lady who sold chocolate—whatever interests someone.
The Sicilian-American Women's Club brings cookies to the Summit County Italian-American Festival.
Tell us about your famous cookbooks.
When COVID was happening, I saw a Facebook post from someone who went to my high school with a picture of a cookbook. It was all beaten up. And he said, "The publisher is no longer publishing this. Is there anyone who knows anything about this group? I would love to have another copy."
Well, it just so happened that he graduated the year behind me. I contacted him and said, "You're talking to the president. And yes, we're aware of this cookbook."
It came out right when I was in college. There was a copy in my parents' basement.
He said, "I have some downtime. What if I reorganized it, and we print it?"
So, during COVID, he did this, which is very gracious of him. He added an index showing the people who contributed to this cookbook, most of whom are now deceased. There are 300 to 400 recipes.
It has been great for us because, during the pandemic, everyone else was stagnant for a year. We didn't meet in person, but we were making money because we printed a thousand cookbooks, and they disappeared in a heartbeat. Everybody was buying them. We had porch pickups and everything else.
We ordered another thousand and still have about 300 left. It was a great money-maker for us when everyone else was losing. It's just the original recipes, but we beefed them up a bit and organized them better.
The legendary club's cookbook
How are you reaching younger generations?
I've succeeded in bringing my daughter on board, and she is now the recording secretary.
At Christmas time, we have a party and invite guests and everything, but at the end, we do this bambina song; we're singing a song and a rosary to Jesus. I remember the very first time she came there. I remember looking at her and seeing how that was something new for her. It's bringing on those histories and things you wouldn't necessarily know.
The other thing is when we use the cookbook and make the cookies. My daughter looked in the cookbook and found one that made 13 dozen cookies. It would be the easiest recipe to make because then we wouldn't have to make two or three batches. Between the two of us, we were trying to put this together (and these are recipes written years ago), and we're trying to figure it out.
It has been very rewarding to experience it with my daughter, instill it, and pass it on. I believe for a lot of the members, having the younger generation along with the older ones… They're enjoying that. And they like that because—believe me—a lot of advice is provided in these group meetings! There's a lot of openness and a lot of caring for the group. And I think the younger generation sees this.
Each event is a celebration of Sicilian sisterhood.
What do you hope members gain from their experience?
I hope they continue to understand the group and further understand the culture, the reasons these people made the food, and the traditions they passed on.
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