Family behind Armida’s Cucina keeping homemade legacy strong around Youngstown
Mark Primavera was five years old when his dad and uncle started their own catering company in 1975, celebrating the family’s favorite Italian classic dishes and new creations.
Now he’s carrying on the family legacy by bringing Armida’s Cucina to hungry customers around the Mahoning Valley and beyond.
“Our name comes from my grandmother, who actually created the recipe for the peppers that we’re most famous for,” Primavera said. “It’s something that I’ve grown up with my entire life. It’s very personal, and we put our heart and soul into doing the best job we can. We’re making only the best food, using the highest quality ingredients and making things that are unique.”
Armida’s Cucina operates year-round, a favorite at major fairs and festivals.
The Primavera family brings mouth-watering concessions like stuffed hot peppers, mozzarella sticks and chicken sandwiches to community get-togethers and private events for catering.
“We have the trailer that we use for our big fairs and festivals that take place throughout the summer, always at the Italian fests in Brier Hill, Youngstown, Mount Carmel and the Canfield fair,” Primavera said. “With the food truck, I go year-round and travel as far away as two hours for a job. We have companies that’ll have us come and do employee appreciation events for them.”
Primavera said he built the food truck in the summer of 2020 and brought it to out for its first event in December that year.
“I believe that you need to do something different and unique. As food trucks have become more popular, we were one of the first in the area,” Primavera said. “In building the truck, I designed it all so that we can fill up and go do our events, because we’re fully self-contained. We carry our own water; we have our own electric with the generator. Then when we’re done for the day or evening, I can, very easily, completely drain down all the water lines. It allows us to be able to operate all winter long.”
One of the busiest events for Armida’s Cucina is the Canfield Fair, starting Sept. 2.
“We have to bring in a lot of supplemental equipment. We actually rent a 16-foot refrigerated trailer to help store all the stuff that we need; a lot of prepping of both the space and the food,” Primavera said. “Everything we do is homemade.”
The Canfield Fair opens on a Wednesday, and vendors are permitted to start setting up the week before.
“It takes us that many days to physically set up, do our prep work and get everything transported, then all set up beforehand,” he said. “It takes a lot of planning and coordination to make sure we’re on top of everything, because if we run short on an item, we can’t just run to the store and get some more. It’s also fun. We make sure we’ve got our music going and we have a fun atmosphere.”
Armida’s Cucina has been awarded the best sandwich at the Canfield Fair for several years in a row.
“We love doing all [the events]. It’s great to get to meet people who become friends because they say, ‘We’re always looking around for where you are, and we’ll travel wherever you are,’” Primavera said. “It makes you proud. There’s a couple that actually rides in on their motorcycles from two and a half hours away. They pay to get into the fair. They walk straight to us, get some food, and when they’re done eating, they stand up, walk out the exit, get back on their motor vehicles, and drive two and a half hours back.”
