By Chanda Temple
Last June as Jack Burke prepared to cook for Festa Italiana at Sloss Furnaces, the morning was bright and beautiful. But it didn’t take long for the weather to turn.
Rain came down in sheets and high winds blew tents everywhere. Jack and other vendors sought cover under a nearby viaduct, waiting for the worse to pass. And in that very moment, Jack wondered if his food had been ruined. Will people even come?
Eventually, the storm passed, and the sun came out again. So, did the people.
“Within an hour of opening up, boom! Thousands of people!” Jack recalled, adding that his food had survived. “We had a line wrapped around the tent. At 4 or 5 o’clock, it was as if half of Birmingham had decided to come to Sloss.”
His homemade focaccia went first. Thick and hearty, it sold out in 30 minutes. Then, the smoked meatballs were gone, as well as everything else.
Now, as he prepares to return for the third annual food festival, the weather forecast is sunny with a slim chance of rain. That makes Jack smile because sharing his Italian dishes with a Southern soul food kick is what drives him to feed people.
“I love hospitality. I love feeding people. I love to cook,” he said. “I’m not trying to put myself in a box or do what others are doing. I do it because I love it.”
Presented as a fundraiser by the Italian American Heritage Society, Festa Italia will take place from 12 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, April 11. Admission is $10 in advance and $15 at the gate. Children 10 and under are free. Once inside, attendees can buy food from countless vendors. There will also be cooking demonstrations, dancing, grape stomping, an Italian car show, bocce ball, a Sugo Cook-Off, a chance to win a trip to Italy, roving cannoli makers, children’s villages and performers. For more information, visit https://www.festaitalianabham.com/ .
“As we return for our third year, we’re excited to bring Festa Italiana back to Birmingham—bigger, bolder, and more flavorful than ever. This festival is a joyful celebration of Italian food, music, and culture, and we look forward to sharing the spirit of Italy with the Birmingham community once again,” said Tina Verciglio Savas, chair of Festa Italiana.
Under his company Molay Bros., Jack will return to Festa Italiana to sell his warmed homemade sourdough focaccia bread served with olive oil shipped from Sicily. He’ll also have Italian meatballs filled with fennel seeds, Parmasean cheese, Italian breadcrumbs and fresh herbs cooked in a smoker; an eggless cream tiramisu that ditches traditional Ladyfingers for homemade olive oil cake; spaghetti and smoked meatballs; and pasta arrabbiata, which features a spicy garlic tomato sauce.
Yesterday, he was in the kitchen, getting ready for the weekend. Playing through his airpods was Italian music. Dean Martin’s “An Evening in Roma” to be exact. As the mandolin, strings, piano and guitar arrangement flowed, so did Jack’s thoughts. He was taken back to his first time in Italy in 2025, visiting the hometown of his great-grandfather and two great-uncles, for which his company is named.
In 1942, those men had a dream when they opened a grocery business on Birmingham’s Morris Avenue and named it Molay Bros. Now, 84 years later, Jack is carrying on the tradition of entrepreneurship and the family name. (Jack is 21 years old, a Vestavia. Hills native and a junior studying culinary science at Auburn University studying. He started Molay Bros. in 2022 while a senior in high school, trying to create the perfect chocolate chip cookie. He’s grown the business to offer catering and pop-up opportunities.)
Today, if his great-grandfather were here, Jack knows he’d be proud.
“He was a big a family man. So, I think he’d loved the fact that I did this with the family name,” said Jack. “And my family helps me with this. So, it’s become a family business for sure.”
Chanda Temple is an award-winning writer living in Birmingham, Ala. She blogs at http://www.chandatemplewrites.com. If you have a food story idea, email her at chandatemple@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram at @chandatemple.
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