Mortadella Day
All hail Mortadella Day! Celebrating 2000 years of meat-centric history, Officine Buona Forchetta is hosting a traditional Mortadella Day festival Sunday, July 23. Made of lean pork speckled with lumps of lard, Mortadella Day draws thousands each year to the city of Bologna, Italy to sample this storied charcuterie. Seeking to replicate the festival for adventurous foodies, co-owners Mario Cassineri and Matteo Cattaneo are whipping up an exclusive menu featuring the finely sliced specialty on all manner of Italian fare. Imported from the famed samulerie Ferrarini in Casatenovo, Italy, the 120-lb mortadella will be on display in the center of the restaurant, with busy capocuoco’s and pizzaiolo’s slicing away as guests place their order. Dishes include a focaccia topped with mortadella, provolone, and tomatoes, ravioli with mozzarella and ground mortadella, and a specialty pizza topped with mortadella. In the spirit of community, Officine Buona Forchetta will be donating $2 of every dish sold on Thursday, July 20 to Loma Portal Elementary School.