Lena, Louis Jr., Gia, and Louis Prima at dinner.

“First of all, I’m Italian. I come from a beautiful Napolitano family that settled in the area of Trenton, New Jersey, in a place called Chambersburg. And that’s where all of the Italians seemed to settle when they came to this country. My great, great grandfather, Gennaro Chianese, was the founder of the Italian festival in Trenton. My grandfather, Joseph Maione, had the first Italian bakery in Chambersburg. My uncle Gigi had the corner bar and grill in Chambersburg. My uncle Louie had the meat and fresh produce market in Chambersburg, and my uncle Stanley was the tailor. So I kind of sort of had it wrapped up. Food was a great part of their life, and I find myself the same way. I get my greatest enjoyment from a really good Italian meal. When I first got the job with Louis [Prima], he had an apartment at the Diplomat Apartments in Las Vegas, and on Sundays some of the band members, Sam [Butera] and the Witnesses, would go over to Louis’ and somebody would cook something. So when I first got the job I said, “Let me do it next Sunday.” So I went over and I fixed a pot of gravy with all the pork and the beef and the Italian sausage and meatballs and I served them supper and Louis said to me, “You got the job.”

And that’s the way our life was. I cooked almost every night. Sometimes, we’d go out, but very rarely. And he just loved his food and his supper always had to be at five o’clock. I mean, five o’clock sharp! And then he’d take his nap after supper and wake up and go to work at the Sahara and the Sands and wherever we performed at the time, and that was his life. He loved it and he was very content within that realm. He was very scheduled for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Sometimes, he would fix breakfast for the kids and I. They loved daddy’s biscuits. No special trick, not really. He used Bisquick, but he had the touch. They were so light and fluffy. They really were good.

Louis loved everything. Something that was always kind of special for him, and the kids were not fond of it, Pasta e Piselli, pasta with peas. It’s a very common dish in Italian recipe books, but as a kid, when my mama made it, I didn’t like it, so I didn’t really pay attention to how it was made. This was Louis’ favorite way of having it. After we got married, I started making it. It’s a quick, healthy meal because you get your green vegetable along with the pasta. Nowadays, everything is broccoli, broccoli, broccoli. So this is a little different. Louis would like it about once a month.

When you’re an entertainer you like to stay at home whenever you can, and of course, when we had the children, it was a good family time. The children loved the red gravies and the pasta. I would make a lot of veal Milanese, or veal Franscese. Milanese has Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, and the Franscese is just lightly floured, that’s all. And you serve it with a lemon, white wine, butter sauce. Milanese is like in New Orleans, paneed veal. If you have red gravy left over from one of your pasta dinners, you save it and put the veal under the broiler with a little bit of red gravy and mozzarella on top.

I’m living in Destin, and I think I’m the only Italian in the phone book for God’s sake. There’s no Italian deli here. They have a couple of Italian restaurants here but I don’t go. If I want Italian food, I make it myself. It’s not like New Orleans, loaded with the best of all kinds of food. I’ve settled for Publix grocery store. They’re not too bad, but they’re not authentic either.

When I was living in New Orleans all those years, I guess 18 years from the time Louis went into the coma until my parents became ill and I had sold Pretty Acres in Covington and settled the estate, I would take the kids to Panama City for the rides they had and I would pass through Destin. I started going, just overnight. I had a lot on my plate as Louis’ estate was tied up for almost 20 years and had a lot of legal battles, so just to regroup and regain some strength back, I would come here for overnight and then drive back to Covington the next day. The drive, too, was therapeutic for me because it was peace and quiet and I really needed that. Always thought, some day I’d like to settle here, and after my mom passed I moved here in 2005. I’m not sure why I moved back here rather than to New Orleans, but if I ever move again, I’m going back to New Orleans.”

Photo by Elsa Hahne.

Gia’s Pasta e Piselli (Pasta with Peas)
One of Louis Prima’s favorites

1 pound uncooked angel hair pasta
¼ – ½ cup olive oil
½ red onion, finely diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15-ounce) can Le Sueur Peas
red or black pepper, ground

First, boil salted water for pasta. Pour olive oil into a sauté pan—at least a quarter cup because that’s the only moisture that’s going to coat the pasta. Sweat the onion in the oil, add garlic. Strain peas, discarding juice. Add peas to onion mixture. Add pepper to taste. “Louis liked a little red pepper.” Cook pasta according to directions on box, drain, then mix with peas. Serve hot.