The holidays can be a difficult time for some, and one local restauranteur is giving 3 struggling families a holiday feast to remember.

Sal Borruso of Chesterfield's Tavolo Italian restaurant on North Genesee Street in Utica is in search of at least 3 families who are down on their luck this holiday season. Borruso is asking for submissions from the public for deserving families whose names will be kept anonymous. Borruso and the staff at Tavolo will then create the ultimate Italian holiday feast which the family can pick up and reheat for Christmas dinner.

"I want to give 3 families a meal to remember," Borruso said. "And we want it to go to 3 families who are really down on their luck." Last year, Borruso said his staff went out of their way to create an unforgettable Utica-style Italian dinner with pastas, meats, greens, Italian specialties and so much more. He said giving the meals out became very personal for he and his staff. "There was one family with a little girl who was the victim of a horrific crime," he said. "My staff went above and beyond and gave the little girl the best Christmas she could’ve ever hoped for."

If you would like to nominate a family who is very much in-need during this holiday season, Click here to Email the family's name and contact information, and tell a brief story about why they are so deserving. Borruso and his staff will select 3 families from the submissions this weekend, and then contact them to make arrangements for pickup.

Borruso and his family own 2 restaurants in Utica. Chesterfield's Tavolo (The word "Tavolo" means table in Italian) and Iconic by Chesterfield, which is the Italian steakhouse restaurant inside Hotel Utica's Doubletree by Hilton in Utica's Franklin Square.

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