, a native of
Bisacquino, Sicily Sicilian immigrants brought with them their own unique culture, including theatre and music. Giovanni De Rosalia was a noted Sicilian American playwright in the early period and
farce was popular in several Sicilian dominated theatres. In music Sicilian Americans would be linked, to some extent, to
jazz. Three of the more popular cities for Sicilian immigrants were New York City (especially Brooklyn), New Orleans and Chicago. The latter two cities were pivotal in the history of jazz. In New York City, the predominantly Sicilian neighborhoods prior to World War II were
East Harlem and
Elizabeth Street in Harlem and
Little Italy, respectively, in Manhattan,
Bushwick,
Carroll Gardens and
East Williamsburg in Brooklyn, and the predominantly Sicilian neighborhoods after World War II were
Bensonhurst,
Dyker Heights, and
Gravesend, all in Brooklyn; in Chicago, "Little Sicily" was predominantly Sicilian, and in New Orleans, "Little
Palermo", the lower
French Quarter, was mostly Sicilian. One of the earliest, and among the most controversial, figures in jazz was
Nick LaRocca, who was of Sicilian heritage. Modern Sicilian-American jazz artists include
Bobby Militello and
Chuck Mangione. In 1892
Mother Cabrini arrived in New Orleans and opened an orphanage which became Cabrini High School in 1959. The Sicilian-American respect for
San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph) is reflected in the celebration of the Feast of Saint Joseph, primarily in
New Orleans and
Buffalo, every March 19. Many families in those cities prepare a "
Saint Joseph's Day table", at which relatives or neighbors portray Jesus, Joseph and Mary and oversee the serving of meat-free
Lenten meals to the poor of the community. The tables are the vestiges of a Sicilian legend which states that farmers prayed to St. Joseph, promising that if he interceded in a drought, they would share their bounty with the poor. The foods served at such tables include:
Pasta con le sarde (spaghetti with sardines);
lenticchie (lentils); and various
froscie (omelettes) made with
cardoon (wild artichoke),
cicoria (dandelion) and other homely vegetables. Desserts include
sfingi,
zeppoli, a light puff pastry;
sfogliatelle,
pignolati, struffoli (honey balls); and
cannoli, a Sicilian creation. One tradition has each guest at a St. Joseph's Day table receiving a slice of orange, a bit of
fennel and a
fava bean, for good luck. ==Notable people==