The SALections started as a TV sports segment years ago in Richmond and Norfolk, Virginia. We were fortunate to have a healthy following and the local newspaper in Norfolk called it the best local TV sports segment. Over the years, I often thought how can I broaden the SALections out to appeal to anyone, not just sports fans. During a game of banana grams, the idea of dynamic categories that would appeal to anyone was the light bulb moment. Our newsletter began in September 2024 and is available on our website - www.salectionsofthemonth.com
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The SALections of the Month - September 2024
Published 7 months ago • 11 min read
Welcome to the First Edition of the SALections!
We hope you find this newsletter inspiring and just maybe it will make you laugh out loud. Here we go.
Rocco was the youngest of six children for Adeline and Nick Filoso in South Philadelphia.
Rocco in High School
With 4 sisters and an older brother, Rocco had to find his way and that he did. For a number of years, he worked with his dad at Crown Cork and Seal, a leading packaging supplier.
Back Row - Mary, Dominic, Connie, Rose, Lee, Rocco Front Row - Adeline & Nick
Rocco is also my Uncle, and I would see him every Sunday when we gathered for family dinners.
Since my Dad passed early, I always looked up to my Uncle. He was a good guy, kind and knew how to have fun. Early in his career, he got involved with the South Philly String Band (SPSB) where he played the accordian.
Rocco and his lovely wife, Florence
Ironic, when I went to a music store and wanted to play the guitar, the store owner talked my parents into playing the accordian. What are the chances? Only I didn’t play it nearly as well. The black keys on the left hand side totally scrambled my eggs, but Rocco didn’t have problems with them.
From the "fresh of the boat" collection with summer teeth - some over here & some over there - here's a young Ricky Ricardo look-alike.
Early in his musical career, Rocco was a member of a 4-person group called the Toon Addicts. There’s Pat on the left, then Tony, Rocco is on the squeezebox and Sam is on guitar.
The Toon Addicts
At the Holidays, Rocco would always dress up as Santa Claus making all the kids in the family happy, except for the cry-baby in the pic below.
I remember one year, my Dad took Rocco out for his Santa stops driving him in his 64 black convertible thunderbird with red leather interior. People were literally yelling, “there’s Santa Claus” as they rode around the city.
Rocco as Santa 1959
Every year on New Year’s Day, we would go to see Rocco perform with the South Philly String Band in the Mummers Parade. The event would begin at Broad and Oregon and my Aunt lived on Rosewood street, right around the corner from the parade’s starting point.
My Aunt Connie & Uncle Jimmy would make hot food and coffee so we could stop by and warm up as it was usually frigid. We would walk from Oregon – all the way down Broad to at least Reed street and back, loving every minute of it.
1975 was a highlight as South Philly won the parade that year with a Hallelujah, Get Happy theme. Rocco played accordian for the South Philly String band for more than 30 years.
In 1971, he married the love of his life, Florence and they have been happily married for 53 years. God Bless them.
We were always big sports fans and over the years, I’ve been fortunate to take my Uncle to Phillies games. We would sit at Citizens Bank and have great conversations about anything from the game to old times and everything in between.
He is quite a guy and always has been. To this very day, I still look up to him and always will.
Was lucky enough to see him recently with Aunt Florence and their son Kenny as they came for a visit down the shore. It was such a good time and one where I was able to let him know how much he means to me. Love the hat he is wearing below.
You are the very best Rocco.
Ti Amo Zio Rocco!
Sal & Rocco after dinner at Johnny's Cafe.
Heroes – Footnotes
We all have heroes. It’s really important to let our heroes know how much they mean to us. Write them a letter, pick up the phone or go see them.
Let them know that they have made an impact on you. You will gain so much more in that conversation, while making them feel appreciated. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Johnny Colla is one of the very best saxophone players you will ever hear.
He started his career playing for Van Morrison. Later he played for Sly & the Family Stone and wound up spending the bulk of his career with Huey Lewis and the News.
Johnny Colla
Much more than just a saxophone player, Johnny also plays the guitar and has co-written a number of hit songs such as The Heart of Rock and Roll, The Power of Love and Back in Timeto name just a few.
Here is Johnny in action in a song entitled – Trouble in Paradise. Johnny’s sax during this one is nothing short of phenomenal. Sit back and listen to a true Sax Master.
By the way, the Tower of Power horns play backup in this song, but Johnny Colla steals the show. Johnny’s sprinkles his sax throughout this song beautifully.
We are breaking out the passports & heading to PORTUGAL!
An absolutely beautiful country with delicious pastries and great beaches. Reasonably priced to boot, who could ask for more.
Did you know that in Portugal, you can visit the oldest bookstore in the world. Founded in 1732, Livaria Bertrand is in the Chiado section of Lisbon.
You can also surf the biggest waves at the beaches of Nazare, where the waves typically exceed 86 Feet. That's comparable to a 7-story building.
Let’s not forget, Pastel de Nata – a small custard tart topped with cinnamon and powdered sugar that was invented and perfected in Portugal. Get one when you are there, you will thank me.
Pastel de Nata
You can also travel across the longest bridge in Europe. The Vasco De Gama bridge in Lisbon travels over 10 miles. It’s so large that on cloudy days, you can’t even see the other side.
Last but not least, try port wine where it was invented – in Porto.
Port is a sweet, rich, and strong wine that is fortified meaning a clear grape is added during fermentation. One of the things that makes it special is the brandy is added to help preserve the wine.
My cousin Patty was a phenomenal cook. She had so many talents and cooking was definitely a passion for her. We will be using her special dish (below) as a logo for this category in Patty’s honor.
Patty
EGGPLANT ROLLATINI
If you have never had Eggplant Rollatini, what’s amatta for you?
Here we go! It’s really easy to make and yummy to eat.
Directions:
Cut your eggplant into quarter inch strips
Salt the eggplant on both sides & let it sweat for 10 minutes, then pat dry with paper towels
Wipe off the remaining salt.
Lay the eggplant on a lightly greased pan and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.
In a small bowl, mix together ricotta cheese, parmesan, egg, salt & pepper, minced garlic and fresh basil.
Then spoon 1 tablespoon of the ricotta filling onto the bottom the eggplant slice. Roll it up and repeat until you use all the filling.
In a baking dish, spoon half the gravy onto the bottom and place the eggplant rolls in the dish
Spoon the remaining gravy over the top of the eggplant rolls
Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 300. Then remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes.
Maggie is a singer-songwriter and producer from Easton, Maryland. She just seems to have talent oozing out of her in endless supplies.
At the young age of 7, she started playing the Harp. By the time she was in middle school, she added the piano and guitar to her reportoire. As if that wasn't enough, she sang in the school choir, started a jazz band and learned to play the banjo.
She also made the most of her chance at a New York City music masterclass when Pharrell gave 5 students the chance to play their music for him. When Pharrell heard Maggie's song entitled, "Alaska" he was blown away.
That's some side eye - what's Pharrell thinking - son of a Beyonce, she is so talented!
While she is early on in her career, the cream sure does rise to the top when you have the kind of talent Maggie has. Her writing, singing and performing are all on point.
She reminds of me of someone I saw 9 years ago. Maren Morris was only playing a few small clubs, before putting out the Hero album. She played 8 songs from the album before a small crowd.
After the show, while talking with a group of Maren's fans we all agreed that there were at least 4 hits on Hero - My Church, 80's Mercedes, I Could Use a Love Song & Rich. Every one of those songs became a hit for her. My favorite was, "I Could use a Love Song."
Maren quickly moved to headliner status, and was asked to be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Then she heard from Alicia Keys who wanted to perform with her on Crossroads. Not too shabby when a 16-time grammy winner wants to work with you.
It's not hard to see the same track ahead for Maggie Rogers. She is coming to Philly on October 15th in her "Don't Forget Me Tour"
No worries Maggie, no one will forget you any time soon, your star is just beginning to shine.
You can see Maggie's tour stops - https://www.maggierogers.com/ While you are on her site, check out the Words at the top - her writing is pretty extraordinary.
By the way, Maggie just completed her new album, "Don't Forget Me" in just 5 days at Electric Lady Studio in NYC. That's unheard of today.
Her songs have a way of staying with you, and this one - Light On is a perfect example of that.
This is such a great topic to explore. And if you need added incentive, did you know that living with gratitude can extend your life. That's according to the Harvard School of Public Health.
We get so caught up in the daily rigamarole that often we have no time to step back and appreciate EVERY DAY.
Slowing down and living your life with an attitude of gratitude can help us grasp the concept that we are not guaranteed tomorrow.
When’s the last time you thought about your legacy?
What do you want to be known for when your time is up?
How do you want people to remember you?
A great way to start your day is to take a few moments and reflect on what you are grateful for.
Family dinners were a Sunday tradition growing up. We ate pretty damn good. Lots of homemade macs with meatballs, braciole, chicken, roast beef, salad and a feast of desserts.
No one ever went home hungry.
Special thanks to Grandmom and all our Aunts who made just about everything from scratch every week to feed us.
As a friend of mine says, "La Famiglia e Tutto."
if you are not familiar with the phrase - it means, "Family is Everything."
Packed in at Grandmom's for Sunday Dinner
Sunday Dinner at Aunt Mary's - notice the Last Supper on the wall and the Rolling Rocks on the table
PLEASE NOTE:
In future editions of the SALections, you will be able to submit Old Photos, comments on any category and story ideas thru our website - SALectionsofthemonth.com
We look forward to your comments, so don't be afraid to jump in.
Directed by the late Carl Reiner, That Old Feeling is a romantic comedy starring Bette Midler and the late Dennis Farina.
Farina, who was terrific on Law and Order really gets into it with his ex-wife, the always screen worthy Bette Midler.
You will also see Paula Marshall along with her real-life husband, Danny Nucci in the film. James Denton from Desperate Housewives rounds out the cast in this one.
That Old Feeling is a screwball comedy with lots of twists and turns, the laughter will come easily and it is definitely worth checking out.
We keep our promises around here. Thank you for checking out the very first edition of the SALections.
We can confidently tell you without any hesitation that it will only get better. Every time you come along for the ride, we will absolutely give you thebest we got.
We are closing out our first edition of the SALections with the incomparable, Anita Baker.
It is the southern most spot in New Jersey & Cape May is one of the real jewels in the Garden State.
Join us in October for a day trip where we will explore one of our favorite spots - the boards, beaches, the downtown mall, the bed and breakfasts, the food and all the charm you will find in Cape May.
We are debuting a new category next month - Confessions. As you may know, a Confession is an admission of something we have done that we are not proud about.
Generally, a confession includes an act of contrition - for you catholics out there - remember, Bless me Father for I have sinned.
We’ll explore a fifty year-old confession in our next episode. You don't want to miss this one.
We are delighted to mention that Cinema Lou Charlip will be joining future editions of the SALections.
Basically, whenever we can get him.
Aside from his insight & sparkling commentary, Cinema Lou is the only person I know with an AMC frequent flyer card who uses it regularly to see 3 or 4 movies a week.
His passion and knowledge of the films coming out and what to see is unmatched.
Cinema Lou is a regular on the Arch Campbell podcast & we are delighted to welcome him to the SALections family!
That wraps up the first edition of the SALections.
So what did you think? We have thick skin so good or bad comments are all welcome. That's how we'll get better, so thanks in advance.
Future versions will be interactive so you will be able to submit comments on Old Photos, Traditions, Heroes or on any other category through our website at SALectionsofthemonth.com
Story ideas are always welcome, so don't be shy. We would love to hear about your heroes, see some of your old photos or learn about your family traditions.
The SALections started as a TV sports segment years ago in Richmond and Norfolk, Virginia. We were fortunate to have a healthy following and the local newspaper in Norfolk called it the best local TV sports segment. Over the years, I often thought how can I broaden the SALections out to appeal to anyone, not just sports fans. During a game of banana grams, the idea of dynamic categories that would appeal to anyone was the light bulb moment. Our newsletter began in September 2024 and is available on our website - www.salectionsofthemonth.com
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