Family Reunions 2011
While it was difficult to have to divide our time, it was wonderful to be able to spend time on August 13, 2011, with both the Contento Family and Schmidt Family. See photo albums of each by clicking on either the Contento Family or Schmidt Family tabs.
Discovered another Italian relative
I am very excited to say that I received an email from Giulia Pedrazzoli. She is the granddaughter of Giovanna Valente (sister of Giovanni Valente and daughter of Rosa Contento). She has 2 children and lives in Rome. I'm very happy that I continue to meet new members of our family in Italy! (Now, if I could only win the lottery so I could go meet them all in person!)
Another new cousin from Italy!
I'm excited to tell you that another Contento relative from Italy contacted me by email. His name is Franco Angelini. I met his father, Angelo, who is now deceased, on my first visit to meet the Contento relatives. Franco shared some photos of his family and one with his cousin Pasquale Valente whom I met a couple times in Italy. I'm very excited to "meet" another one of our family in Italy. I hope that he and his family may come to a Contento family reunion some day.
Congratulations 2010 family graduates!
- Tara Contento - Cortland Jr.-Sr. High School, Cortland, NY;
- Justin Contento - Homer Central High School, Homer, NY;
- Christina Contento - Thomas R. Proctor High School, Utica, NY.
Chris Contento's Pasta Shoppe website
New Contento Relatives Found
Thanks to Facebook, and an invitation to the Contento-Recchio Family Reunion that I extended to a 90+-year old aunt I met in Italy in 1999, I have been newly connected with some Palmisano cousins in Italy, Vito Antonio and Salvatore. Vito currently lives in Norway but the family resides in Martina Franca in Italy. I am very excited to get to know more of the descendants of Rosa Contento in Italy!
Fatto a Mano Day II a Success!
The second year of Fatto a Mano (Made by Hand) Day, a new tradition for the Contento family, was fun. We were missing a few due to illness, and had one casualty due to hot tomato sauce, but we put in the work and had a wonderful homemade Italian meal with family. A new tradition to keep the old traditions alive. You can see photos on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=41453143&l=d71ff146ea&id=433211
New Genealogy Pages Added
Check out the Tesori family page for an outline report for the descendants of Francesco Tesoro.
There is now a new page for the Schmidt/Laljer genealogy.
All descendant trees have been privatized to hide information for living people to protect their privacy.
Chef Michael Pryor quoted in Wine Enthusiast Magazine
http://www.winemag.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=8B2BAD991B0B45CAA34966A2691F369B
Our own Chef Michael Pryor is quoted in an article in Wine Enthusiast Magazine entitled, "Home on the Range" by Steve Heimoff and Janet Forman. Alongside other heavyweight chefs, Michael talks about a holiday recipe that makes him think of his roots. For some reason, the link will not show up here so google the article below to get his recipe!
Michael Pryor.
Pan-seared Duck Breast with Caramelized Root Vegetables and Duck Leg Hash
Michael Pryor fondly recalls the root cellar under the kitchen of his grandparents’ home. “The cellar was a culinary gold mine; onions, potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, parsnips, squashes and Brussels sprouts were common finds.” Pryor, chef at the Langtry and Guenoc wineries in southern Lake County, spent his boyhood holidays at the grandparents’ house in rural, upstate New York. “The centerpiece of the meal was often something that my grandfather had hunted, typically venison or a game bird of some kind supplemented with a bounty of homegrown vegetables.” Inspired by those memories, he still serves game birds during the holidays. “Duck is one of my favorites and I often make this dish for my California friends,” he says. “It really satisfies the soul as well as the stomach.” The flavors in this dish call for a wine with earthiness, spice and perhaps a touch of animal. The full-bodied, smoky 2005 Langtry Estate Serpentine Meadow Vineyard Petite Syrah is a fine choice. Another duck-friendly possibility is a richer style (almost Syrah-like) New World Pinot Noir. —S.H.
NEW: Contento Genealogy added
Check the Contento Genealogy page and click on the Descendants of Guiseppe Contento pdf link for our family history back to the early 1700s! If you're not on there and should be, then you never sent me your information (birth dates, marriage dates, etc.). You can either leave an entry here if you want to share the info with everyone, or send me an email (contento@twcny.rr.com).