DAPHNE, Ala. — By 11 a.m. Sunday the aromas of a traditional Italian kitchen permeated the air near Christ the King Catholic Church.

As crowds gathered to take part in the Festa Italiana event, a hunger for authentic Italian food became stronger.

Mary Francis, president of the Christ the King Ladies Sodality, said volunteers from the church have been preparing for the Festa Italiana for months, and their hard work paid off. Planning began shortly after the clean up was finished on last year’s event and the preparation began in January, Francis said.

Most of the cooking was done in advance, Francis said, to ensure flavors in the spaghetti had enough time to come together perfectly.

Attendees explored the Italian heritage of the church and this area in many ways, including browsing through historical photographs and displays or partaking in traditional cuisine.

The main course offered at the festival was spaghetti with meat sauce, which church volunteers made under the guidance of Helen Callaway, one of the original organizers and cooks for the first Festa Italiana in 1971.

Church volunteers also served miniature individual pizzas — cooked to order before your eyes from a ball of dough to a delectable snack — and homemade cannoli dipped in sweet additions that included sprinkles and M&Ms. Parishioners also took to their own kitchens to offer several cakes, breads and desserts to take home and extend the tastes of the festival for a few extra days. 

According to the church’s history, Italians established the first Catholic Church in the area in 1895, which was called the Italian Catholic Church of the Assumption. The church later became known as Christ the King.  The Daphne area was home to many Italian families around the time Christ the King was built. The church has been on the same property since it was first built in 1895 and in 1993 a new sanctuary was built.

Parishioners pre-sold raffle tickets for a chance to win $500, $300 or a basket of laundry detergent during the festival. Mary Hirschfeldt took the grand prize of $500 home and Cindy Sheets won $300. Kevin Boucher won the basket of laundry detergent.

Francis and Callaway estimate between 650 and 700 spaghetti dinners were sold on Sunday.

“That is a lot,” Francis said. “The spaghetti was awesome and we sold tons of cannolis; everything went great this year. A lot of people came and supported us,” Francis said.

Callaway said more than $2,000 worth of cannolis were sold.

“That just fascinates me,” Callaway said.

The event could not have been as successful, Francis said without the support of the community and the 80 volunteers who helped put on the event.

“We appreciate all the people coming out to help us and who supported it at Christ the King. It was very inspiring,” Francis said.