The Liberty Food and Spirits of Fredonia recently hosted a special event on May 30. Relatives of the Liberty family from both near and far gathered to experience the newly renovated restaurant that they had once called their own. A special dinner full of Sicilian flavors was presented by Chef Brian Bundy and the owners of The Liberty Restaurant, Fiore and Cindy Conti.

Lewis James Shioleno Sr. of North East, Pa., son of Mary Ann Liberty, arranged a gathering at The Liberty restaurant for relatives near and far. Visiting from Colorado, Russell and Cheryl Liberty were in attendance. The restaurant soon brought back fond memories of the family homestead located on Prospect Street where their grandfather and uncle lived for many years.

Brothers James and Antonio Liberty arrived in the US in 1897. When James was 23 and Antonio was 19, they worked at the Geneseo Canning Factory. Three years later, they were employed by the McCormick Farm Machinery Company in Batavia. In 1902, the brothers relocated to Prospect Street in Fredonia. It was there that they raised their familes and provided a meeting place with food and drink services for the local immigrants.

The brothers started the Liberty Macaroni Factory at a Prospect Street location, which is now occupied by The Beaver Club. After some time, the Macaroni Factory equipment and recipes were sold to the Gioia Family of Rochester, N.Y.

In 1932, Antonio “Tony” Liberty opened the Liberty Cafe on Prospect Street in Fredonia. The Liberty Cafe was issued the first NYS Liquor License in the area following the repeal of prohibition. The business was passed on to several relatives, including Russell Liberty. He sold the business to Russell and Louis Leone in 1965. The Leone family operated the business until 2009 when it came into the ownership of Fiore and Cindy Conti, distant relatives of the Liberty family.

As a keepsake for the relatives in attendance, Mr. Shioleno, an ancestry researcher, provided each family member with a Book of Historical stories and facts of the island of Sicily and the village of Valledolmo, Sicily, where the Liberty (Liberti) Brothers were born and raised. The book also included a detailed Liberty family history and heritage, with historical pictures, stories, and traditions that have carried throughout the years.

Liberty Family members traveled from Windsor, Colorado, Hamburg, East Aurora, Buffalo, Grand Island, and North East, Pa.

The special menu, planned and prepared by Chef Brian Bundy with the aid of Cindy Conti, more than met the high expectations of the Liberty family.

A Liberty family memento, a crystal forget-me-not, a symbol of love, was gifted to the families.