Addison Trail students get a taste of Italy with visit from Elio Pizza on Fire

Left: Elio Bartolotta from Elio Pizza on Fire in Addison visits with Addison Trail students on April 25 to demonstrate how to make authentic and classic Southern Italian dishes. He's pictured with Addison Trail sophomore Bianca Sitkowski. Center: Bartolotta made homemade pasta al forno (baked pasta), arancini (fried Italian rice balls), tabule (a vegetarian couscous salad) and cannoli during his presentation. He also spoke with the students in Italian while he cooked. Right: Bartolotta poses with Addison Trail world language teachers Enza Spilotro (left) and Judie Vitiritti-Lynch (right).

On April 25, Addison Trail students who are enrolled in Italian 3 Honors participated in the school’s second “Mangia Bene con Elio (Eat well with Elio).”

During the event, Elio Bartolotta from Elio Pizza on Fire in Addison made authentic and classic Southern Italian dishes. Bartolotta demonstrated how to make homemade pasta al forno (baked pasta), arancini (fried Italian rice balls), tabule (a vegetarian couscous salad) and cannoli, and the students then sampled the food. Bartolotta spoke with the students in Italian while he cooked.

Addison Trail world language teachers Enza Spilotro and Judie Vitiritti-Lynch coordinated the culinary experience.

“I'm always trying to find ways to bring Italy to the students, and this was a great opportunity to accomplish that goal,” Spilotro said. “We talk a lot about Italian culture in all of our classes, and one very important part of the Italian culture is of course food! We discuss how Italian food is not only a way of life, but it also is an art.”