Since 1928, Il Cenacolo has been recognized as San Francisco’s premiere Italian cultural club. Since its inception, the venerable old organization has held regular Thursday luncheons, during which guest speakers representing all aspects of Italian culture have addressed the all-male membership.
At first they met at Armando Campagnoli’s restaurant in the 800 block of Geary Street, and when they outgrew that location, they moved the Fairmont Hotel where assistant manager Alberto Campione provided meeting space for the club in 1932.
World War II curtailed the club’s outward activities somewhat, but eventually they were back, bigger and stronger than ever. They settled in at the Fior d’Italia restaurant on the south-west corner of Stockton and Union streets in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood. They continued to meet there every Thursday for nearly half a century, interrupted only by a devastating fire that temporarily closed “America’s oldest Italian Restaurant” in 2004.
The club hastily relocated its luncheons to the President’s Room of the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club, also on Washington Square. When the “new” Fior d’Italia reopened near Fisherman’s Wharf, Il Cenacolo returned there for its Thursday luncheons. Sadly, the Fior d’Italia closed its doors in the spring of 2012, and Il Cenacolo moved to another San Francisco landmark, Caesar’s Restaurant. But a few months later, Caesar’s permanently closed its doors after a long and glorious run.
The club then continued its long tradition of luncheons at yet another North Beach institution, Volare Trattoria Caffé. The food was great, the service was beyond excellent, and the meeting room…well…it was a bit small for the large regular luncheons. So for the third time in a year, Il Cenacolo began searching for yet another “permanent” location.
One member of the club pointed out that, years earlier, when the Fior d’Italia was being rebuilt after its 2004 fire, the club had temporarily met at the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club, and that by all accounts, they were quite satisfied at that location. So the ball began rolling, and after some brief negotiations, Il Cenacolo’s Board of Directors decided to move the club’s meetings to the nearly century-old SFIAC.
The first luncheon at Il Cenacolo’s new “permanent” location was held on Thursday, June 6th, where SFIAC President Alberto Cipollini welcomed Il Cenacolo President Don Lewis to the President’s Room on the third floor. There, the regular Thursday luncheon was held with the enthusiastic approval of Il Cenacolo’s membership. Chef Paul Alioto, the SFIAC’s General Manager, prepared a feast to welcome Il Cenacolo; it impressed everyone, and was enjoyed by all.
So for the foreseeable future, Il Cenacolo is once again on stable ground, and its members and invited guests can count on having a first-class dining experience at a great venue, where they can continue to engage each other in an atmosphere of friendship and camaraderie.
Of special note this month is a talk scheduled to be delivered on Thursday, June 20th by
Jean Kellogg, Executive Director of the Merola Opera Program. Her topic will be, “The Heritage and Future of the Merola Opera Program.” Those interested in attending this presentation, or those interested in membership in Il Cenacolo, may contact Ron Derenzi, Membership Chairman at: Membri@IlCenacoloSF.org
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