American Heritage

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Cavanna’s

From Janet Scagnelli: A photo of my great-aunt Maddelena “Madame” Cavanna in her Boston restaurant, Cavanna’s. She is the first person seated on the stool. She ran a boarding house upstairs. Her husband Giuseppi Morisi went back to Europe and she stayed with her 2 daughters. Later moved to Durham, CT and opened the Durham Inn which she sold to Frank Forlini. Then I think they opened a restaurant together, then she sold her part and opened a hot dog stand outside her house over the county line in Madison, CT. (which I used to run when I was about 10!) Uncle Joe had returned by then.

November 1950

November 1950 – possibly at one of the early meetings of what was then called the Società Val Trebbia. (Left to right) Giuseppe (Joseph) Macellari, Founder Giovanni (John) Draghi, Founder Paul Draghi and Giuseppe (Joseph) Draghi. This was before they began meeting at Forlini’s and from the aprons it looked like they did their own cooking. Both Giuseppes were cooks by trade and Giovanni owned and ran his own diner in Brooklyn .

Misc. Società’s Dinner Dances From Years Gone By

Thank you to Christina Forlini for sharing these photos.