T-L Photo/JENNIFER COMPSTON-STROUGH Members of the Sons and Daughters of Italy Culture Committee prepare to offer a “delizioso” experience with the return of its popular cooking school on Sept. 14. Cooking up a plan for the event are, from front left, Arleen Sabatino, Irene Louda, Rosalind Fitch, Anita Smigill, Debbi Habursky and Lillian Siebieda. Behind them from left are Annette Ice, Theresa Mowery, Vince Gianangeli, Cynthia Hartlieb and Bill Ault.

BELLAIRE — If you missed it in March 2024, now is your chance to enjoy another Italian cooking school, courtesy of the Sons and Daughters of Italy Uguaglianza Lodge 754 in Bellaire.

Scheduled from 2-6 p.m. Sept. 14, the experience promises to be both instructive and delicious.

This year’s course will feature authentic Italian and Sicilian dishes, complete with an alcoholic beverage, bread, soup, first and second courses, a vegetable and dessert. A cash bar will also be available during the class.

The cooking school will feature several presenters, who will prepare their dishes live with a livestream of their actions being shown on large screens so participants can get a good look at each step involved in the process. This is only the second cooking school offered since the COVID-19 pandemic restricted gatherings and limited the ability for such events to give attendees a hands-on experience.

“No one will have a bad seat,” Culture Committee member Irene Louda said.

Among the presenters will be three men, Bill Ault, John Gianangeli and Tony Polsinelli. Members of the committee stressed that both men and women would be involved in meal preparation in Italy.

“Men play an active role in the cooking,” Louda noted.

She added that the dishes chosen for this year’s event will show the versatility of various ingredients, noting that the committee tried to select dishes that could be prepared using ingredients already found at home.

Member Cynthia Hartlieb added that during the lodge’s weekly Pasta Nights, held at 4 p.m. every Thursday, most of the cooking is done by the men of the lodge.

Male members also attend and assist with the setup for special events such as the cooking school.

The committee also tried to select foods that would appeal to a broad audience.

“We tried to pick dishes you would order in an Italian restaurant,” Hartlieb said.

Ticket sales will be limited to 50 participants. Tickets cost $30 for lodge members and $40 for the general public.

They can be purchased at the lodge’s bar at 3348 Belmont Street in Bellaire, and sales will end Sept. 6. The lodge opens at 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and at noon Thursday through Saturday. It is closed on Sundays, except for special events.

The lodge also can be reached by calling 740-676-3178.

The cost of a ticket covers all materials and dinner.

“Everyone gets a meal,” Hartlieb said.

Committee members include Cindy Hartlieb, Anita Smigill, Bill Ault, Rosalind Fitch, Irene Louda, Theresa Mowery, Brenda Ault, Lillian Siebieda, Annette Ice, Arleen Sabatino, Debbie Habursky, John Gianangeli, Larry Siebieda, Vince Gianangeli and Tony Polsinelli.

Some of the recipes will come from the committee’s latest cookbook, “Our Regional Recipes,” featuring old family favorites handed down through generations to the current lodge members.

The books will be available for sale during the event, but the school is not designed to be a fundraiser for the lodge. Rather, it aims to bring awareness to and preserve Italian heritage.