COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Columbus Italian Festival takes place this weekend at St. John the Baptist Italian Catholic Church.

It is a festival known for its rich history and food. One local Italian market has been a staple of the festival since its inception in 1980. By creating his famous Italian festival sausage for the Columbus Italian Festival, Salvatore Carfagna, general manager of Carfagna’s, continues his family’s legacy.

“We decided to create a specific blend for the festival, a combination of sweet and spicy,” says Carfagna. “So it’s a kind of medium blend sausage. And that sausage was Italian festival sausage.”

Carfagna’s long history with the Columbus Italian Festival began in 1980, when the festival was founded.

“My father and my uncle were part of the founding of the festival and were part of the board that put the festival together,” Carfagna said.

Salvatore Carfagna has been general manager of Carfagna’s for three years, but he says he has been working for the family business since he could use a broom.

“I helped my dad when I was a young kid and would come in and just be with him and the family and help them anyway I could,” Carfagna said. “I was, you know, a little kid.”

And while the Italian festival means a lot to Carfagna’s, the feeling is mutual that festival officials realize they wouldn’t be where they are today without this staple.

“Carfagna’s has certainly been the anchor of the festival,” said Landa Brunetto, the festival’s director of communications. “They donated so much product and that allows us to sell the product. They are so humble and so kind.”

And Carfagna says kindness goes beyond the contributions his team makes to the festival. He says they have long found ways to give back to the Italian Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist, the place the festival has called home since 1980.

“All the pasta, the meatballs and the sauce that we give to the church so they can have a spaghetti dinner, so all those proceeds go back to the church to help that parish at St. John the Baptist Church,” Carfagna said.

Faith, family, friends and food; According to the Carfagnas, the Columbus Italian Festival embodies what Italian culture is all about. The Italian festival runs until Sunday.

If you would like to attend the festival, you can visit their website to purchase tickets.