James Verde

Grandma's maiden name was Verde, which was changed to Green at Ellis Island (for the record Grandpa's surname was Guarino and was changed to Warino there as well as shown by the Citizenship papers below).

She had a brother named James. He was best described as the polar opposite of Grandma. He was a really cold person. I spent a lot of afternoons at his house, very uncomfortably. I was about 7 years old and the visits involved them playing cards and me sitting on a chair; loads of fun. He would receive letters from the remaining sibling(s?) in Italy and read them in Italian to Grandma. Their daughter is/was Phyl Redmond.

Phyll Vivo Warino's Peppers in Oil

Before I visited Youngstown for the first time, I had never had peppers in oil. They were sitting on the table in Dom’s Aunt Phyll and Uncle Blackie’s kitchen with the salt and pepper. Blackie explained that he ate them with practically everything: sandwiches for lunch, steak at dinner, and his favorite, with eggs each morning. Blackie grew in the peppers in the garden, and Phyll would can them for use throughout the year. Dom remembered the peppers and lamented that he couldn’t find anything close to them in Atlanta. Phyll patiently explained to me how to make them. They do not last very long in our house as Dom, the Youngstown transplants (Vince Blumetti, Tony Grohovsky, and Joe Cregan,) and especially my teenage boys, eat them almost as fast as I make them.

2 pounds fresh hot peppers
¼ cup kosher salt
6 cloves garlic, sliced
Olive oil
Small jars with lids, cleaned and sterilized
Gloves

Begin by putting on your gloves. Once you have donned your gloves, wash the peppers and pat them dry. Next, cut the peppers in thin rings, removing the pith and seeds as you go. Place all peppers rings in a mixing bowl with the salt and toss gently to cover all peppers with salt. Cover the bowl and let stand overnight. When you are ready to put the peppers in jars, fill the mixing bowl with cold water and gently rinse the salt from the peppers. Drain and dry the peppers by laying a towel down on the counter and pat the peppers dry. Pack the peppers and sliced garlic in your clean jars and fill them with olive oil. Using a spoon, gently push the peppers and garlic down in the jar to remove air bubbles. Top off with more olive oil if needed. Seal the jars and put them in a pot of hot water. Bring to a boil and simmer the peppers for 10 minutes to seal the jars. Let jars cool and check the seals of the lids. Place the jars in a cool dark place. While you can eat them right away, they are better if sit for a week or two, and will keep for up to a year. As I mentioned before, mine NEVER last that long.

Christmas Eve Feast of Seven Fishes

On the night before Christmas in our house, strains of Louis Armstrong’s “’Zat you Santa Claus” or Kurt Elling’s “Cool Yule” resound in the background while the smells of garlic, toasting bread crumbs, and lemon fill the air. The anticipation for the coming feast is only eclipsed by the anticipation of the following morning of ripping paper and opening presents. Italians usher in Christmas Day with ‘Cena della Vigilia’, the dinner of the vigil; the meal that breaks a daylong fast, at least in theory. Over the centuries, however, fasting obligations were relaxed, rules of abstinence from eating meat became the standard. Today, in our family, the imminent birth of Christ is celebrated with one long, delicious (almost meatless) dinner party.

The Warino family originally emigrated from Calabria - a region of Puglia that borders the Adriatic Sea. There, La Vigilia means seven different kinds of seafood, cooked seven different ways. According to Grandma, the number seven is important because it represents the seven sacraments. The number is also said to allude to the seven virtues, the seven hills of Rome, and the seven days of the week.

We usually start the evening at his house with champagne and raw oysters. We also put out a platter with smoked salmon and white fish with olives and crostini. It may not be exactly Italian, but everyone likes it, and it works. Fried smelts follow close behind. It depends on the year which friends and family are in attendance. Some years it is a house-full and others it is just the four of us. While I cook, friends chat in the kitchen, help set the table, or share pictures of recent travels. We have tried several different dishes over the years to comprise the seven fishes and do not always adhere to the strict interpretations that each fish must be prepared differently. Frito Misto is the perfect solution to preparing several of the fishes in our feast at one time. Gumbo is another family favorite that accommodates more than one fish. If we still need a fish to add to round out our repertoire, we add some anchovies to the pasta with olive oil, crushed red pepper and parmesan that we serve on the side.

The custom of “La Vigilia” is revitalized whenever a new generation takes it on. We have tried to introduce the custom to our boys and family friends to keep the practice alive. As it is carried on into the future, we remember our ancestors who have added their imprint on the tradition, and it is if they are dining with us each Christmas Eve.

Certificates of Citizenship

Here are copies of the original U.S. Certificates of Citizenship granted to Fanny and James Warino.

History of Italian Immigrants in Ohio

Numerous Ohioans are descended from Italian ancestors. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, millions of immigrants migrated to the United States of America, hoping to live the American Dream. Before the American Civil War, most immigrants arrived in the United States from Great Britain, Germany, and Ireland. By the 1880s, the home countries of immigrants began to change. Many of the new immigrants to arrive in the United States came from Eastern European countries, like Poland, and Hungary, or from Southern European countries, like Italy.

In 1900, just over eleven thousand Italian immigrants resided in Ohio. By 1920, their numbers had soared to 60,658 people. Most of these Italians settled along Lake Erie, especially in Cleveland. In 1870, only thirty-five Italian immigrants resided in Cleveland. By 1920, their numbers had surged to more than twenty thousand people. Most of these immigrants found low-paying jobs in factories, as day laborers, or as waiters, waitresses, and cooks in restaurants. Immigrants who were more successful established businesses that supplied their fellow migrants with traditional Italian products or began their own clothing or construction companies. In Cleveland, the Italian immigrants tended to settle in their own communities, preferring to live among people who shared similar cultural beliefs and spoke the same language as they did. By the late 1800s, most Italian immigrants in Cleveland had settled in two neighborhoods nicknamed Big Italy and Little Italy. Most of these immigrants were followers of the Roman Catholic Church.

Italian immigrants congregated together partly out of camaraderie but also out of fear. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many native-born Americans feared outsiders. Some of these people objected to the immigrants' religious and cultural beliefs, while others believed that the foreigners would corrupt the morals of United States citizens. These people also contended that the quality of life within the United States would decline, as there were not enough jobs to employ the millions of people migrating to America. Many native-born Americans hoped either to limit immigration or to force foreigners to convert to American customs and beliefs. During World War I and World War II, Italian Ohioans faced even greater persecution, since Italy was one of the United States' enemies in each of these wars. During World War II, Ohio Italians rallied behind the United States, forsaking their homeland. Many Italian social groups dropped their Italian names and adopted patriotic ones, like "Abraham Lincoln" and "Betsy Ross," instead. However, it would still take several generations before Italian immigrants became truly accepted by the vast majority of Ohioans.

Of all the immigrant groups to settle in Ohio, Italians remained the most determined to maintain their traditional heritage and beliefs. Many Ohio Italians established social organizations. Unlike the organizations of other nationalities, Italian ones usually did not welcome all Italians. Rather, they usually only admitted people from their former villages in Italy. As other Ohioans became more tolerant of the Italians, many Italian communities began to disintegrate. Many Italians moved into other communities, while non-Italians began to infiltrate the traditionally Italian neighborhoods. This does not mean that Ohio's Italian population has lost its ties to its traditional cultural beliefs. Italian Ohioans continue to participate in various social and cultural groups that serve to promote Italian beliefs and customs.

Excerpted from http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org.

You Know You Are An Ohioan:

1. In order to talk sports with obsessive fans in Ohio, you have to be knowledgeable on three levels: professional, college and high school. The truly expert Ohio sports fan knows not only the name of the hotshot quarterback at Moody High School, but also what colleges he's interested in, how much he bench-presses, who he took to the prom and what he got on his Biology quiz last week.

2. Get used to food festivals. The Ohio General Assembly, in an effort to grow bigger offensive linemen, passed legislation years ago requiring every incorporated community to have at least one festival per year dedicated to a high-fat food. Thus, Sugarcreek honors Swiss cheese, Bucyrus has a bratwurst celebration and Gahanna, seeking an edge over other towns, has recently introduced the Triglyceride and Low-density Lipoprotein Festival. It is your duty as an Ohioan to attend these festivals and buy at least one elephant ear.

3. Know the geography. Of Florida, I mean. I've run into Ohioans who couldn't tell you where Toledo is but they know the exact distance from Fort Myers to Bonita Springs. That's because all Ohioans go to Florida in the winter. Or plan to when they retire. Or are related to retired Ohioans who have a place in Sarasota. We consider Florida to be the Lower Peninsula of Ohio.

4. If you can't afford to spend the winter in Florida, use the state excuse, which is that you stay here because you like the change of seasons. You'll be lying, but that's OK. We've all done it.

5. Speaking of Ohio weather, wear layers or die. The thing to remember about Ohio seasons is that they can occur at anytime. We have spring like days in January and wintry weekends in October. April is capable of providing a sampling of all four seasons in a single 24-hour period. For these reasons, Ohio is the Layering Capital of the World. Even layering, however, can pose danger. Golfers have been known to dress for hypothermia and end up dead of heat stroke becausethey couldn't strip off their layers of plaid fast enough on a changeable spring morning.

6. Don't take Ohio place names literally. Upper Sandusky is below regular Sandusky. Circleville is square. East Liverpool has no counterpart to the west. Also, if a town has the same name as a foreign capital (Lima or Berlin, for example) you must not pronounce it that way lest you come under suspicion as a spy. Hence, it's not "LEE-ma" (as in Peru), but "LYE-ma" (as in bean). Berlin is pronounced "BER-lin", not "Ber-LIN" (like in Germany).

7. Become mulch literate. Ohioans love mulch and appreciate its subtle differences. Learn the difference between hardwood, cypress and pine bark at a minimum. Researchers think the state's affinity for mulch derives from its relatively flat terrain. People have a subconscious need for topography, and when it can't be supplied naturally, they are more likely to make little mulch hillocks in their front yards.

8. Remember that Ohioans are never the first to embrace trends. When we do embrace them, we do so with a Midwestern pragmatism. For example, if you see an Ohioan with a nose ring, there's a good chance he's had it undercoated to guard against rust.

9. The best way to sell something in Ohio is to attach the term "Amish" to it. The product need not be genuinely Amish. This would explain the existence of "Amish moo shu pork".

10. Know the state casserole. The state casserole of Ohio consists of canned green beans, Campbell's cream of mushroom soup and dried onions. You can safely take this casserole to any social event and know that you will be accepted. In fact, Neil Armstrong almost took this casserole to the moon in case he encountered alien life there. NASA nixed the plan out of concern that the casserole would overburden the Apollo rocket at liftoff.