ENDICOTT, NY – Supporters of Italian heritage on Endicott’s Northside are about to fulfill a dream that’s been 10 years in the making.

Broome County Executive Jason Garnar announced today that Little Italy Endicott is receiving a 10 thousand dollar grant to complete its kitchen renovation project.

The money comes from the county’s Small Community Fund.

It will pay for additional refrigeration and ovens as well as some plumbing and electrical work on the heritage museum’s basement kitchen.

Once complete, the commercial kitchen will allow Little Italy to host and cater its own and other community events, as well as hold classes in Italian cooking and baking.

Michael Romeo is the Board President.

“We’re here to be able to show it to adults, to the older people, to kids and to newcomers to the area what this area was and what it still is,” says Romeo.

Romeo says that with the completion of the upstairs museum space and the downstairs lounge, the building on Odell Avenue will be able to generate income from classes and party rentals that will allow it to become self-sustaining.

He says future fundraising can then be directed toward work in the Northside neighborhood, such as street improvement and business development, that has been in the planning since they purchased the building 10 years ago.