The meatball cart was built only a month ago, and we've already had six successful events of the young feast season (seven if you count the unveiling ceremony at Star Ravioli). We did two gigs over the weekend...Friday and Saturday it was our first trek outside of the Garden State to Pennsylvania, and Sunday we rolled back home to Fort Lee.

These were two very different feasts, but we had a "ball" at both...

First, was our road trip to PA, a two hour haul to Lehigh Valley to a town called Whitehall just outside of Allentown. This one was done on sort of a whim as the organizer, Neil, contacted me on Wednesday asking me if I was able to visit their huge Fullerton Memorial Festival. Joe "Soup" of "The Sopranos" was heading down that day (which was opening day) to sign his new cookbook, and if he was making the trip, I certainly figured it was going to be a good venue for me and the "Meat & Greet" team. So we hitched up the cart and drove down on Friday morning to set up our spot after checking into our hotel. By six p.m., we were ready to start serving balls! 
 
I love Pennsylvania. I've been there many times, to the Poconos and also to Philly where I met Lorraine Ranalli (author of "Gravy Wars") for our first meatball throwdown last November. But besides those two places, I have never been anywhere else in the Keystone State. So when we decided to go to Whitehall, we were going into it blindly. I had no idea really where it was, and my friends in those other parts weren't too familiar with it either. I didn't realize what a big state PA is! See when you mention any town to me in Jersey, it may be far from me but I have a general idea of where it is. I've been everywhere in the Garden State from Fort Lee to Wildwood and many points in between. But anyway, we figured we'd take a shot. 

This Fullerton Festival was indeed HUGE. It had at least twenty rides, games, raffles, live bands and attractions like we have at the Meadowlands State Fair, including those weird circus acts and guys with chainsaws who design animal heads out of tree stumps. It was also a fair that was kind of in the middle of nowhere...sort of "cattle country," and although we were right next to the town shopping mall and strip of chain restaurants, we were only a short drive from corn fields and surrounding lakes. It's amazing how we take for granted so many things in New Jersey like being able to have so many endless options of privately-owned and operated eateries and stores. Although of course we have our share of Red Lobsters and Burger Kings, this seemed to be the only option there.
 
But when we arrived I was determined to show the Burger King eaters how the Meatball King does things. And we did just that, as I served up my signature specialty to amazed guests! It was a good thing though that we didn't run out of bread since there were no Italian delis (or any delis) anywhere near us in case we needed more.
 
While I would like to say we sold every ball, we did come home with a few trays, although the trip was definitely an experience to remember. Even though I didn't "meat and greet" with my usual paisans and paisanettes, the folks down there were very nice and they appreciated the fact that I was bringing some Jersey Italian flair to their fair. There were oddly enough some transplated New Yorkers who truly appreciated my appearance, and that was especially nice. 

 
There was one minor scare back at the hotel, when a bunch of cops showed up searching for a shotgun toting man who was walking up and down the highway. I assume they caught the guy (perhaps a lost hunter?) because I didn't hear anything on TV about it. I just hope one day I don't catch a story about him on "48 Hours Mystery" on the Investigation Discovery Channel.
 
On Sunday morning, it was time to pack up and head back to Jersey, and I was very excited to be going to Fort Lee which was a real homecoming for me since I grew up right on the border of that town just a few blocks away in nearby Palisades Park. Main Street in Fort Lee was definitely like another world compared to Whitehall, and although that neighborhood changed from when I last lived in the area, it was definitely home. At ten a.m. on Sunday, we were geared up for event #6 at the Arts & Crafts Fair...
 
This was a real nice feast organized by my friends at the Fort Lee Film Commission. From one end of the block to the other, there were rows upon rows of jewelry vendors, clothing stands, a food court which featured various fare including my personal favorite of a custom-built wood burning pizza oven on wheels by the Coney Island Pizzeria. Their crisp Napolitan' pizza was off the hook! There was also a Harley Davidson motorcycle show (those bikers loved my meatballs), a juried art show featuring work by the Fort Lee Artist Guild, and two stages of musical entertainment. Sammy Gnasso's Double Tap, the Pedal Pushers and the Party Dolls all performed.


My personal highlight of the day was when Simone Cinotto, the history teacher of the University of Gastronomic Sciences (the private academic institution created by the "Slow Food" association in Pollenzo, Italy) came by with a group of three of his Italian food studies students. They interviewed me on "The Multiple Dimensions of Italian and Italian American Food in New York/New Jersey." A reporter from the Fort Lee Patch also came to the cart to write an article on Simone's visit.
 
Now that it's June, the season will really be picking up. All the local farmer's markets begin next week, and we will be shooting to be in at least 3-4 per week around Bergen County. Besides those, we'll still be doing our weekend events and also have a lot of other projects in the works which we will be announcing real soon! It's going to be one marvelous meatball summer!