San Pedro’s Croatian community celebrates 60th traditional ‘Fish Lunch’
- by croatiaweek
- in Entertainment
Croatian community of San Pedro celebrate 60th traditional Fish Lunch (Photo credit: Nada Pritisanac Matulich)
By Nada Pritisanac Matulich
The Croatian community of San Pedro recently celebrated its traditional 60th ‘Fish Lunch’ at he Dalmatian-American Club, with over 250 members and guests gathering to commemorate the event. The lunch was held on Friday, March 31, 2023, after being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Dalmatian-American Club is the most organized and strongest community of Croats in Southern California, founded on May 6, 1926. Membership in all categories currently stands at approximately 500 people, with the club’s 22,000-square-foot multi-venue facility and large outdoor patio overlooking the Los Angeles Harbor and Cabrillo Yacht Marina.
According to Rudy Svorinich, Jr., the President of the Dalmatian-American Club, the club’s purpose, then and now, is to promote American patriotism, brotherly and sisterly love, goodwill towards all friendly peoples of our country, pride in their Croatian heritage, and general “good neighbor qualities” towards the community as a whole.
(Photo credit: Nada Pritisanac Matulich)
San Pedro, considered the heart of the Croatian community in Los Angeles, is home to the largest population of Croats along the Pacific Ocean. This is why former councilman Rudy Svorinich Jr. and current President of the Dalmatian-American Club founded the Croatian Cultural Center at the corner of 7th Street and Pacific Avenue.
“The purpose of the center was to claim the American dream, a place where they could proudly fly the flag of their heritage and their new home,” says Angela Romero, local historian, and San Pedro Today contributor, of the center’s origins.
(Photo credit: Nada Pritisanac Matulich)
The membership of the Dalmatian-American Club includes two members of Congress, two members of the state assembly, two mayors of L.A., five justices of the L.A. Supreme Court, the city attorney of L.A., three members of the L.A. City Council, and numerous mayors of the South Bay, presidents of Croatian organizations, men and women from all over the world, lifestyles, different occupations, and many ethnic origins, not only Croatian.
(Photo credit: Nada Pritisanac Matulich)
For many people in the community, the Dalmatian American Club feels like a second home. “You don’t feel like a stranger when you enter the club, you feel like you’re entering your second home,” says Rudy Svorinich Jr.
(Photo credit: Nada Pritisanac Matulich)
The Fish Lunch, which has been celebrated regularly since January 1961, with 18 participants from the local business community, was attended by individuals from all walks of life, high-ranking elected officials, businessmen, educators, lawyers, medical workers, and retirees, all with great enthusiasm for being together again.
(Photo credit: Nada Pritisanac Matulich)
In front of the Croatian consulate, the Consul General of the Republic of Croatia in Los Angeles, Renee Pea, and the president of the global organization of the American Croatian Congress, Nada Pritisanac Matulich, were present.
(Photo credit: Nada Pritisanac Matulich)
With the celebration of this 60th Fish Lunch, the Croatian community in San Pedro has continued to honor and celebrate its heritage and traditions.
