Thirteen years ago, Andy Cagnetta had this pretty simple idea. He would throw a pasta dinner, just like the ones his family did growing up, for about 30 of his friends. It would raise money to make sure other people had food on their plate, and – who knows? – maybe it would grow.
Cagnetta knew pretty quickly he was on to something. After that first year, the dinner got so much attention he had to add a second seating. He was serving it back then at the nonprofit it benefited, the soup kitchen LifeNet 4 Families in Fort Lauderdale. By year three, he had moved it to Signature Grand.
Now, Cagnetta is expecting somewhere near 900 people at the 14th Andy's Family Pasta Dinner on Feb. 28. So far, it has raised more than $600,000 for LifeNet.
From the beginning, Cagnetta pictured it as a family event where people wear whatever and kids are running circles around the tables. Even as it moved into the Signature Grand's main ballroom, that part hasn't changed.
The event makes up a large chunk of LifeNet's $3 million budget, says Melanie Geddes, the soup kitchen's president and CEO. Each meal costs LifeNet about $1, she adds, so that means the pasta dinner has paid for more than 600,000 lunches or dinners for needy families.
There's talk now about expanding it. Cagnetta got a call from a group in Orlando looking to copy the idea there, and he has considered expanding it elsewhere.
Andy's Family Pasta Dinner, 4-7 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Signature Grand, 6900 W. State Road 84, Davie, andyspastadinner.com. Kids are free; adult tickets cost $75, or sponsorships run $200 to $25,000.