Where everyone is Italian!
Team Cooking Contest
Spaghetti Gravy
Saturday, May 31 12:00 p.m.
Spaghetti Gravy is the cage fight of Italian cooking! You’ll spar with some of the BEST Gravy makers in Memphis for cash prizes and ABSOLUTE bragging rights. Each cooking team enters one 20 oz. sample to be judged on-site by a panel of gravy experts. The best Gravy takes it all!
Food Fellas - 2022 Spaghetti Gravy Winner
Grazie ai nostri Sponsor
Anything Italian
Friday, May 30 6:00-6:30 p.m.
Anything Italian is wide open, cooking creativity! Each cooking team enters one appetizer, entree or dessert dish that best delivers the essence of Italian cooking. Contestants are judged by a committee on creativity, taste and “Italian-ness”.
Registration Details
If you have any questions or need to make arrangements, please call Vickie & Richard Ranson at (901) 606-5123 or
email: theransons@bellsouth.net
Other Fun Italian Contests
Saturday, May 31 All Day
After you’re finished proving your gravy, compete in our other FUN events! Homemade Wine, Best Happy Hour Drink, Best Booth, Best Powder Room and Best T-Shirt are all fun, light-hearted competitions that EVERYONE can enjoy.

Peoples Choice
Saturday, May 31 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm
People’s Choice is just what it says, the public’s FAVORITE choice! The top six cooking teams in previous year’s Spaghetti Gravy contest each enter one Spaghetti Gravy sampling that is blindly judged by festival goers who make a donation to participate. Each donation is allocated to the gravy that each tester liked the best. Once totaled, the People’s Choice is awarded to the cooking team that received the most donations!
All proceeds from the People’s Choice will benefit The Holy Rosary School ANGEL Program, so come out to the festival, sample some great spaghetti gravy and help raise money for some very special kids! The ANGEL Program offers year round intensive instruction for children living with autism using innovative teaching techniques.
Memphis Italian Festival 2024
Team Cooking Contest Winners
Spaghetti Gravy Contest
1st Place – Pasta La Vista
2nd Place – Pasta Famiglia
3rd Place –Foodfellas
4th Place – Luigi and Pasquales
5th Place – Garbolucci
6th Place – Pazzo!
BLIND Spaghetti Gravy Contest
1st Place – Foodfellas
Anything Italian Contest
1st Place – Ciao Y'all
2nd Place – Noodleheads
3rd Place – Bats Amore
Homemade Wine Contest
1st Place – Pasta Famiglia
2nd Place – Eat, Drink, & Be Italian
3rd Place – Pasta La Vista
Best Happy Hour Drink
1st Place –Fistful of Garlic
2nd Place –Italian Vagrants
3rd Place –Famiglia E 'Amici
Best Booth Contest
1st Place – Pasta Famiglia
2nd Place –Pasta La Vista
3rd Place – Holy Cannolis
Powder Room Contest
1st Place – Pasta Famiglia
2nd Place – The Alfredo Brothers
3rd Place – It's All Gravy Baby
Team Shirt Contest
1st Place – Pasta La Vista
2nd Place –Luigi and Pasquales
3rd Place – It's All Gravy Baby
Father Milton Guthrie “You’re Great” Award
901 Mafia
The Bob Noonan Founders Award
Peoples Choice Award
Foodfellas