Making sure food at Little Italy Fest-West is the real McCoy

For real parmesan cheese to serve at Little Italy Fest-West in Addison this weekend, Ron Onesti traveled to Parma, Italy to meet with the cheesemaker. He brought back other Italian ingredients as he and his staff cook for 30,000 people. (Courtesy of Ron Onesti)

(Courtesy of Suzy Singh)

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At this weekend’s Little Italy Fest-West a celebration of “Old Neighborhood” style Italian cooking, culture and entertainment, the food will be as authentic as you can get. Ron Onesti of Arcada Entertainment is sponsoring the festival Thursday to Sunday, Aug. 18-21 in Centennial Park in Addison.

I spoke to Onesti of Arcada Entertainment in St. Charles, particularly because I had heard that he recently traveled to Italy for some of the ingredients for the festival.

“I have a home in Tuscany, I wanted to expand upon some of the offerings,” he said.

Festivalgoers will enjoy parmesan cheese straight from Parma, Italy, as well as prosciutto from the factory where prosciutto is made, among other goodies.

Onesti sponsors such a festival in Chicago, but a suburban celebration seemed in order.

“People said ‘We love your festival, but could you do one closer to us?’ I want to bring the concept of Little Italy from the street to a park in Addison,” he said.

Wanting the celebration to include real Italian favorites, he asked local restaurants to take part in the beginning.

“What it is, is a festival I started 10 or 12 years ago, with local restaurants showcasing their best things. But after the downturn, most didn’t want to participate. So I decided to take over and cook the food myself. I’m sort of the executive chef around here and me and my staff will be cooking for 30,000 people.” From rolling the meatballs to seasoning the sauce, garnishing cannoli to checking the pasta.

“My garlic chicken is amazing. And my peppers and onions, a classic, and mine are the most flavorful I’ve ever tasted,” he said with a laugh.

“The smell of garlic and sausage on the grill will fill the air, with over 40 items on the menu,” Onesti said. “A new, expanded coffee and dessert bar will definitely be a highlight of the event!”

Although admission to the event is $8 for adults with kids 15 and under free, the “Prima

Notte” or first night Thursday is free admission as is Saturday and Sunday noon until 3 p.m.

The event is located behind the Marcus Theatre on Lake Street, one light east of Rohlwing Road.

The winner of the Daily Herald Media Group and Onesti Entertainment VIP table at the festival is Dawn Wittig of Arlington Heights. The prize package includes a reserved table for a party of 10 for two hours for any one day of the festival. Guests will be served family-style platters of authentic Italian food and one round of soft drinks or water. The prize is valued at $500.

For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit www.oshows.com or call (630) 962-7000.

Oktoberfest: Two seasonal favorites from Two Brothers Brewing Company are set to return just in time for fall. Atom Smasher Oak Aged Oktoberfest Style Lager and Night Cat Hoppy Wheat Ale will hit taps and stores next week.

“Atom Smasher and Night Cat are two beers that are perfect for those cooler months,” said Jason Ebel, co-founder of Two Brothers Brewing Company. “Our goal with all our seasonals is to create well-balanced, flavorful beers that suit the time of year. These beers are prime examples of that.”

The release of Atom Smasher is celebrated each year at the Oktoberfest at Two Brothers Roundhouse, 205 N. Broadway, Aurora. This year’s festival is set for noon to 9 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18. Enjoy the Oktoberfest lager in traditional boots and steins, along with live oompah music and authentic German food.

For more information, visit http://twobrothersbrewing.com/restaurants/roundhouse/ or call (630) 264-2739.

Cook of the Week Challenge 2016: We’re all set to announce on Aug. 31 the names of the 16 home cook contestants in this year’s Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challenge. We’ll introduce each cook to you and share more information about what you’ll see in the coming weeks as the contest gets underway.

Back to school: Now through Aug. 31, Marcel’s Culinary Experience , 490 N. Main St., Glen Ellyn will donate 10 percent of your purchase at Marcel’s or Marché to the PTA at your school of choice. At the beginning of September, the stores’ owners will tally up all the sales and send your school’s PTA or equivalent organization a check. For more information, call (630) 790-8500 or visit marcelsculinaryexperience.com

Breakfast on the fly: Be sure to check out Amy Fuller’s story on nutritious and quick breakfasts as we head into the busy fall. There are recipes and tips for portable snacks and breakfast foods suitable for the backpack as well as a briefcase. I’m trying out Chef Suzy Singh’s Cashew Butter And Berry Energy Bites for my breakfasts this week. They’re fabulous.

• Contact Food Editor Susan Stark at sstark@dailyherald.com or (847) 427-4586. Be her friend on Facebook.com/Susan Stark DailyHerald or follow her on Twitter.