Italian job

New friends end up in the kitchen as they reconnect with their roots

» Making the marinara sauce

THE SCENT OF GARLIC and marinara sauce made from fresh tomatoes stewing in a large pot permeated John Dellamanna's Honolulu condominium, along with the voice of Luciano Pavarotti. At the kitchen counter under a sign that read "La Vita e Bella" ("Life is Beautiful"), two people worked in tandem to feed fresh pasta dough, flattened to perfection, into Dellamanna's pasta machine.

"Just let it lie in your hands; don't play with it!" Dellamanna scolded with a smile when someone didn't manage the dough with enough delicacy.

"I love to cook!" announced Dellamanna, who grew up in New York, often travels to Italy, and tries to meet people with whom he can speak Italian. "This is my big hobby."

Italian-Americans living in Honolulu gravitate toward one another, and the gatherings often revolve around food. One such eclectic group is an Italian Club that celebrated its third monthly assembly on Mother's Day at Dellamanna's house. The previous meeting featured a custom wine tasting -- Italian varieties, of course -- at The Wine Stop. Participants range in age from 25 to 80, and "everybody has a different story," said Jack Lirio.

The still-evolving group started through the Web site www.meetup.com. For those interested in doing something similar, finding people who share a common interest in regional cuisine is probably just a matter of effort in ethnically diverse Hawaii.

Dellamanna, a certified registered nurse anesthetist at Tripler Army Medical Center, gave preparation assignments to attendees, some of whom he did not know, and found himself largely pleased with the results. He took charge of his grandmother's recipe for marinara sauce with a special trip to the Kapiolani Community College Farmers' Market on Saturday morning for fresh tomatoes.

Making pasta dough from scratch might sound a bit laborious for some, but Brenda Burner said she found it "kind of therapeutic."

The informal meeting focused on cooking and dining appeared to be its own type of therapy as well.

"A lot of us were born Italian-American and grew up in the culture," said Dellamanna. And they miss it. Francesca Lee (who married a man of Korean descent) said she was "desperate to find some Italian people."

Former New Yorker Charlotte Corrigan shares Dellamanna's Naples family roots, and claims he is her "Italian fix." They met in Weight Watchers.

"You see, we love to eat!" she laughed. "I've always felt that's how Italians give love."

There's no better way to share this affection than with authentic food featuring "simple, fresh ingredients," said Dellamanna. "You can't go wrong with that."