Antonio Marino: The Making of a French Quarter Tradition
Tony Marino at the 2025 St. Joseph’s celebration on the residential end of Bourbon Street, photo by ELlis ANderson
April 2025A Mardi Gras disaster forced a radical change of plans, creating a legendary neighborhood street party in honor of St. Joseph’s Day each March.
~ by Antonio Marino
This project is made possible in part by a grant from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, Inc.
This project is underwritten in part by Kelly & Linda Baker
Hello, my name is Antonio Marino.
I began living in the Quarter in 1976, but my ties to the Quarter reach back decades earlier. My parents brought my brother and me there as we were growing up in the 1950s and ‘60s. Later in the 1970s, I worked at the Royal Sonesta. And in the late ‘70s, I co-owned and co-operated Trio’s, a restaurant across from the Cornstalk Fence Hotel on Royal, featuring French, Italian and Creole cuisine – hence, the name.
I have many stories from my decades in the Quarter, but there is one tradition that remains the highlight of the year: The St. Joseph’s Day feast at my home. What started as a small group of friends in 1986 now draws more than 600 people every March 19th at my home at 1028 Bourbon.
The 2025 celebration, photo by Ellis Anderson
Courtesy Tony Marino
From the time I was a young child, I have celebrated the Feast of St. Joseph. It’s a thank you to St. Joseph, Sicily’s patron saint. My great grandparents were among the hundreds of thousands of Sicilians who immigrated to the city and made it “Piccolo Palermo.” The feast represents the Italian community that flourished in the Quarter from the 1900s to 1940s.
As a kid, I remember seeing St. Joseph altars at the Italian grocery stores on St. Philip Street. You would see the traditional foods around the St. Joseph statue, like the platter of fava beans, once eaten during times of famine. The holiday takes place during the time of Lent, when Catholics abstain from meat.
St. Joseph’s Day in 2010 is one for the books. But to tell that story, let’s back up to Mardi Gras of that year, a month before the feast.
The year-long renovations of my Bourbon Street home were almost complete. During the renovations, I was renting an apartment across the street, with the plan to move in a few short weeks.
Marino’s home, 2025, photo by Ellis Anderson
The video below is poor quality but shows the severity of the fire.In 2010, Mardi Gras Day fell on February 16, a particularly cold day. We mostly celebrated in the large upstairs reception room. We would regularly dart out on the upstairs balcony outside to view the revelers and marching krewes. That night, I turned off the two recently installed gas fireplaces and went across the street to the apartment to go to bed.
People started calling me at 10pm.. But I said to myself, “Mardi Gras is over for me,” and I wasn’t answering calls.
Suddenly, I saw lights flashing. Little did I know a fire had already blazed and damaged most of my newly renovated home. I had slept through it all. People feared my cat, Noire, and I may have been inside. Passing revelers broke through the front door in an effort to try to rescue us.
Photo courtesy Tony Marino
Once awake, I walked across the street to make an initial survey of the damage in the dark of night. The next morning gave a new meaning of Ash Wednesday. In the daylight, I could see the charred wooden mantlepiece.
Despite all the needed repairs, the big question was, “What would we do about St. Joseph’s Day?
I decided I would have to do it in the street. That year, the Saint Joseph’s statue kept vigil with my badly burned home in the background.
When we moved the St. Joseph’s feast to the street, it increased the number of guests. In 2009, about 200 guests came, and about half of those were Quarter residents. And as you already know, that number has since tripled.
The annual blessing, photo courtesy Tony Marino
With the help of some truly dedicated volunteers, we have the feast preparations down to a science. A week before the big day, we set up the candelabras, lights and banners on the balcony. I installed my prized St. Joseph statue.
I found the statue at an antiques store on Royal Street. It was originally at St. Joseph’s Church on the West Bank. Old Saint Joseph is becoming more fragile, so in 2025, I plan to keep him inside and take my other St. Joseph statue from the balcony and bring him to the street.
Three to four days before the feast, food preparations begin. I used to prepare most of the dishes. Now, it takes a village of volunteers. The feast happens because people like Rosalee Habans commandeer the kitchen. By the end of the night, the food is cleaned out.
One of the “village of volunteers,” photo courtesy Tony Marino
One of the “village of volunteers,” photo courtesy Tony Marino
If you come to St. Joseph’s Day, you can expect three to four hours of celebration. For many years, Father Frank Candalisa gave the blessing, in keeping with the significant religious purpose, now followed by Father Raymond Ignogidi.
The evening also includes an explanation of the many symbolic items by our resident historian, Susan Danielson. For the finale, the lead singer from an opera company comes down from the balcony to sing Ave Maria. I and many others feel this is the highlight of the night.
Opera and Ave Maria, performed from the balcony throughout the party. Photo courtesy Tony Marino
Each new St. Joseph’s contains surprises. In 2023 on a very cold night, my mother – at the age of 91– had some kind of seizure. I almost panicked, and then I realized I was holding a microphone.
“Are there any doctors or nurses with us tonight? My mother needs medical attention.” Within seconds, a host of doctors, nurses and a priest swooped in.
When my mother saw the entourage, she looked at the priest and said, “I’m not ready for any last rites!”
Tony Marino’s mother with friend, photo courtesy Tony Marino
I am proud to continue the St. Joseph’s Day tradition. It connects me to my family, my neighborhood, my heritage and New Orleans history. Some neighbors tell me they look forward to it more than Mardi Gras. Maybe they are onto something.
Grazie.
St. Joseph overlooks the crown below, 2025, photo by Ellis Anderson. To see an entire album of St. Joseph’s Day in the French Quarter 2025, click here.