South Philly Review

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Among the first to respond to the clarion call to volunteer for charity and fundraising events are the diverse men and women of Philadelphia’s hospitality industry.

On a crisp autumn day 24 years ago, I sat with a group of colleagues and planned Philadelphia’s first fundraiser for Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit that raises much-needed funds for the hungry. When I called Giuseppe and his brother Luca Sena, they said count us in. What would you like us to do?

Three months later, on a bitterly-cold January night, Giuseppe set up a beautiful station, which featured roast veal with roasted potatoes. Across the room, his brother and “Papa” Sena were in charge of the dolci. I never saw so many Italian sweets laden on one huge table in my life. The evening was a rousing success. We raised not just money but awareness of the plight of hunger not only in Philadelphia, but throughout the country.

Last week, I lunched with Giuseppe at La Famiglia, his award-winning Old City restaurant. We reminisced about the first Share Our Strength event and the charity work he and his family have been deeply involved in ever since they came to South Philadelphia from their native Naples. Giuseppe said they came to South Philadelphia because his uncle was already here.

“I was 17 years old and learned English at South Philadelphia High School, [2101 S. Broad St.,]” he said. “I loved it here. It was so multi-cultural. For me it was the New World. I wanted to be part of it.”

Giuseppe, a Queen Village resident, owns Le Castagne near Rittenhouse Square and plans to open Ecco, 13th and Locust streets, a casual mid-priced trattoria in mid-November. Luca owns Panorama and Revolution House in Old City.

The Sena family always took part in the yearly Share Our Strength fundraiser. But sometimes it takes a tragedy to compel a man to push himself further into the realm of raising money for scientific research.

Giuseppe and his wife Claudia welcomed their daughter Federica Maria at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Jan. 10, 2003.

“When I heard her — the sound of a live person — I burst into tears,” Giuseppe said. “I will never forget it.”

The baby underwent all the usual tests given to newborns. She had blood screenings and the like. Two days after she was born, mother and daughter were released from the hospital.

“Federica was baptized at the church in Queen Village two months later. There was a major snowstorm and three feet of snow on the ground,” Giuseppe said.

Since her birth, Claudia noticed her daughter was not nursing properly and not gaining weight. The pediatrician took some tests.

“I received a phone call from the pediatrician around 7 a.m. one morning,” Giuseppe said. “She said, ‘I have bad news. Your daughter has cystic fibrosis.’”

Cystic fibrosis is a disease that affects the lungs and digestive system.

Federica was taken to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia at 9 a.m. that day for more tests.

Although he has raised money for the March of Dimes, the Liver Foundation and has donated a holiday dessert event for the homeless with City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, Giuseppe has held an event and silent auction raising more than $500,000 for cystic fibrosis over the past eight years.

“I am fortunate because Federica has a mild case of cystic fibrosis,” Giuseppe said. “I thought ‘oh my God, she cannot die before me.’”

The Sena family now has become an influential part of the restaurant scene in Philadelphia. In 1976, just in time for the bicentennial celebrations, “Papa” Sena along with sons chef Gino, Luca and Giuseppe, opened La Famiglia. Right now, Giuseppe is featuring the ’76 lunch menu at ’76 prices.

Veal with Prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano-Reggiano