The Feast of St. Joseph, or St. Joseph’s Day, commemorates the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus. Following quickly on the heels of St. Patrick’s Day, March 19 holds special meaning to Italians, especially Sicilians, who celebrate St. Joseph as their patron saint. For those who share a name with St. Joseph, it is also known as the “onomastico,” or name day, and is another cause for celebration.
As Italians have immigrated to the United States over the centuries, many Italian Americans hold St. Joseph’s Day as a day for prayer and thanksgiving, cultural celebration, and of course, food. The Feast of St. Joseph is mostly associated with two pastries, the most popular of which is the zeppole di San Giuseppe — a fried pastry that is then sliced in half, filled with cream, and topped with powdered sugar.
“It’s really an old-school favorite,” said Ernest Lepore, owner of Ferrara Café in Manhattan’s Little Italy. The bakery has been making Italian pastries in the city since it opened in 1892. Their zeppole is made fresh and comes with either Bavarian cream and a stemmed cherry or cannoli cream with chocolate chips.
Lepore notes that despite changes in the demographic makeup of Little Italy over the past few decades as families have moved out of the city, many New Yorkers still flock to Ferrara’s to get a zeppole on St. Joseph’s Day. “People love to come out for their St. Joseph’s [pastries]. It goes back to their childhood and their family and celebrating with each other,” he said.
While we hear very little from St. Joseph in the New Testament, his role as the foster father of Jesus is one of the most important. “Great responsibility was put on him,” said Lepore. “He had to remain very staid, and I give him a lot of respect.”
Enjoying a zeppole on March 19 is more than just an Italian cultural tradition – it’s a reminder of the Catholic faith and the importance of passing down values from one generation to the next. Lepore notes that the pastry “reminds the people in the community of Jesus. I hope it brings them back to…Jesus and so it can perpetuate.”
Ferrara’s sells zeppole di San Giuseppe from now until Sunday, and occasionally makes them for special events such as the Feast of San Gennaro in September.