{"id":381592,"date":"2026-10-24T13:07:44","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T13:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/381592\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T13:07:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T13:07:44","slug":"stars-cigars-hollywood-meets-staten-island-when-supporters-gather-at-don-robertos-to-light-up-for-a-good-cause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/381592\/","title":{"rendered":"Stars & Cigars: Hollywood meets Staten Island when supporters gather at Don Roberto\u2019s to light up for a good cause"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 A star-studded lineup of celebrities and law enforcement advocates gathered at Don Roberto\u2019s Classic Italian on Forest Avenue for the Third Annual Charity Cigar Night on Wednesday evening, as a way to raise vital funds for Blue Lives Matter NYC and the Child Reach Foundation. <\/p>\n

\"Rob\"From the left are Joseph Imperatrice, Rob DeLuca and Joseph Gannascoli. In the background is Scott LoBaido.Staten Island Advance<\/p>\n

Co-hosted by Academy Award nominee Chazz Palminteri, Joseph Imperatice and restaurant owner Rob DeLuca \u2014 with special appearances by Sopranos\u2019 alum Joe Gannascoli, and performers Vinnie Medugno, Charlie Romo and Maria Venuto, \u2014 the high-profile benefit brought together local supporters for an evening of hand-rolled cigars, fine dining, priceless auction items \u2014 and community philanthropy.<\/p>\n

\"Rob\"Rob DeLuca is shown with his wife, Gina DeLucaStaten Island Advance\"Rob\"Rob DeLuca is shown with Scott LoBaidoStaten Island Advance\"Rob\"Chazz Palminteri speaks about the importance of giving back to the community.Staten Island Advance\"Rob\"Entertainer\/singer, Maria Venuto performs for the crowd.Staten Island Advance\"Rob\"Media teacher\/singer\/host\/WABC 77 radio personality and producer Vinnie Medugno performs for the crowd.Staten Island Advance\"Rob\"Teacher and performer Charlie Romo serenades the crowd.Staten Island Advance\"Rob\"From the left are Joseph Zichittella and Frank FontainoStaten Island Advance<\/p>\n

The event blended live entertainment, Hollywood glamour and dedication to charitable causes.<\/p>\n

\"Rob\"Rob DeLuca and Joseph ImperatriceStaten Island Advance\"Rob\"Joseph Imperatrice, founder of Blue Lives Matter, addresses the crowd.Staten Island Advance<\/p>\n

Joseph Imperatrice, a retired NYPD award-winning Detective Bureau sergeant, served more than 20 years in the city Police Department and co-founded Blue Lives Matter Blue Lives Matter NYC in December of 2014.<\/p>\n

\"Rob\"Joseph Imperatice shakes the hand of NYPD Detective Jose Mercedes, who was injured in the line of duty, as Chazz Palminteri looks on.Staten Island Advance<\/p>\n

The Child Reach Foundation was founded by Gianna and Chazz Palminteri in 2005 to support children\u2019s health, welfare, arts and special needs, with a major focus on funding medical research for pediatric rare blood disorders like thalassemia (partnering with researchers like Dr. Stefano Rivella and Dr. Michel Sadelain), as well as aiding law enforcement families and children\u2019s welfare organizations.<\/p>\n

DeLuca, owner of Don Roberto\u2019s in West Brighton and DeLuca\u2019s in Tottenville, welcomed the crowd, noting that the event was the biggest one yet.<\/p>\n

DeLuca went on to explain that everyone present that evening was a volunteer in some way. <\/p>\n

\u201cTonight is a wonderful event and I\u2019m so happy and honored to host the event to raise thousands of dollars,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Rob\"Dennis Mangiero is shown with his daughter, Gina DeLuca.Staten Island Advance<\/p>\n

DeLuca, who noted he\u2019s been planning the event since the months of July and August indicated there were an incredible amount of people who agreed to get on board, and would go on to elaborate about the incredible auction prizes that were up for grabs.<\/p>\n

He also referenced the great work being done by Imperatrice and how he has supported the NYPD throughout the years.<\/p>\n

He would speak about Det. Jose Mercedes, who was stabbed 10 times during an attempted robbery in the Bronx earlier this month. Mercedes was presented with a check for $5,000 during the evening\u2019s program.<\/p>\n

\"Rob\"Joseph Imperatrice, founder of Blue Lives Matter, addresses the crowd as Chazz Palminteri and others listen intently.Staten Island Advance<\/p>\n

From the microphone in the West Brighton dining spot, Imperatrice credited all those who worked diligently to ensure the success of the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll who are here tonight want to be part of the effort,\u201d he said. \u201cLaw enforcement is a great part of life. Let\u2019s give a shout out to all the uniformed workers here tonight. They work 24 hours a day. I love that uniform. We are here to serve and raise money for police officers, but also to celebrate Italian-American month.\u201d<\/p>\n

In capping the evening\u2019s program, Chazz Palminteri addressed the crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this world, it\u2019s important to give back,\u201d he said. \u201cI care about the NYPD and the people who help us. If you see a New York City police officer or member of the FDNY, buy them lunch and remember to say thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Palminteri said his father always impressed upon him that there are two types of people in the world, the givers and the takers. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd while the takers might have more money, the givers sleep better at night,\u201d he said. \u201cRob is a great guy. A lot of people speak confidently, making promises or stating beliefs. They talk the talk, but they don\u2019t walk the walk.\u201d<\/p>\n

MORE BY CAROL ANN BENANTI<\/p>\n

\"Rob\"Elvio and Ashglynn roll cigars for a great cause.Staten Island Advance\"Rob\"From the left are Frank Fontaino, Vincent Innocente, Vinnie Medugno, Joseph Zichittella, Steve Argentine, and Marco Raile.Staten Island Advance\"Rob\"Friends came out to support the cause.Staten Island Advance<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 A star-studded lineup of celebrities and law enforcement advocates gathered at Don Roberto\u2019s Classic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":381593,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":["post-381592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=381592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381592\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/381593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=381592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=381592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=381592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}