On Tuesday, March 19,  the Italian American Heritage Foundation hosted its annual event in honor of St. Joseph, the city of San Jose’s patron saint. The focus is the St. Joseph Table, a feast for the community, with all attendees welcome. The tradition has its roots in Sicily, where peasants appealed to St. Joseph to ease a famine.

Their prayers answered, they responded in thanks with food, their prized possession. The Lenten season meal contains no meat; a central ingredient is the fava bean, which saved the population from starvation. The foundation donates food from the event and monetary offerings to the Salvation Army and other charitable groups.