About

The Italian-American Boot Club of Santa Barbara is dedicated to celebrating Italian fellowship, culture and cuisines. Our focus is placed on events that bring people together.

How a phone call started it all…

A phone call between two local Italian-Americans started it all. Hey il mio amico (my friend), lets try to start a new Italian-American Club for the new generation of Italians and Italian-Americans…a social club to carry on the heritage and culture of our ancestors. Phone calls were made and a meeting was set up for twenty people at Moms Italian Village Restaurant. The first event was planned and a dinner-dance was held at the Union Hall on Chapala Street. Attended by almost 200 people, the Board dressed in black and white, did all the work, setup, cooking, serving, and clean-up. What a night – it was a big party! From that evening on, the Italian-American Boot Club was on its way to what we have today.

The club has evolved from a social organization to one also concerned with a variety of civic and charitable interests. We not only have dinner dances and picnics, but there are special events for the youngsters, and bus trips that range from the culture of museums to the decadence of Las Vegas, each educational in it own way. We have formed scholarships to encourage our Italian-American youths to pursue their education.