Steve Sciortino: Catering to the needs of others

Steve Sciortino believes he was born to help those in need. “My purpose in life is to be able to utilize my resources and give to people,” he said.

Over the years, he has cooked trays of food at his Baldwin-based catering company, Delicious Moments, that he has donated to charity functions and fundraisers at St. Christopher’s Church and to hungry families. He is an active member and event organizer of the Knights of Columbus Daniel J. Bradley Council, and has spearheaded philanthropic efforts such as its annual spaghetti dinner.

“He graciously donates a lot of the food,” said friend and fellow KOC member Richard Rattoballi. “Without him, we would not see the success we do.”

At times, Rattoballi said, Sciortino simply helps others by listening to their problems for hours. “As busy as he is, he always makes time for other people,” Rattoballi said. “That’s the way I’ve come to know him and appreciate him. He’s a great friend.”

On top of all that, Sciortino, 56, helps others by running — yes, running. On the weekend of Jan. 11-13, for the sixth time, he will raise money to find a cure for leukemia and lymphoma by taking part in the annual Walt Disney World Half Marathon. Each year, he solicits donations and runs the 13.1-mile course in honor of someone with cancer. This year he’s doing it for 12-year-old Freeporter Giovanni Villante, a sixth-grader at St. Christopher’s School who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in June.

All told, Sciortino has raised more than $65,000 ($15,000 so far this year) for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through the Disney runs alone. Many of the events he organizes at St. Christopher’s also benefit the organization.

“He’s determined that he’s going to keep doing this until they find a cure,” said his wife, Robin Sciortino.

For all of these reasons and more, the Baldwin Herald proudly names Steve Sciortino our 2018 Person of the Year.

He did not know anyone personally who had been diagnosed with leukemia or lymphoma when he first ran the Disney half marathon in 2013 — he did it for fun, at the suggestion of friend Erin McIntyre, and his love for all things Disney. He became enamored of Disney by watching movies with his daughter, Nicole.

As he continued the runs, he began hosting fundraisers in Baldwin for LLS. His passion to help the nonprofit grew, though he was unsure why. “I couldn’t figure out why I was so attracted to this cause,” Sciortino said.

In 2015, he said, it all began to make sense when his sister-in-law, Cyndi Fellin, was diagnosed with leukemia. He ran the 2017 race for Fellin, and his desire to raise money for LLS became stronger. “They say there’s no such thing as a coincidence,” Sciortino said.

Fellin, who is in remission, described Sciortino’s yearly runs as an amazing feat. “He’s a very determined individual,” she said. “Whatever he puts his mind to, he goes for it and he does it.” His devotion to finding a cure for the two cancers, she said, is admirable. “It means a lot to me,” Fellin said. “Not just that he does this for people like me, but more so that the money is going to research.”

The annual runs are physically demanding. “I do get worried, because sometimes he gets hurt,” Robin Sciortino said.

Steve said he tries to stay fit for the runs by understanding his limitations. “It’s not about how fast I can do it,” he said. “It’s about getting it done.”

He does so much more for those with leukemia and their families. He holds separate fundraisers for the person in whose honor he is running at Disney. In November he organized a benefit cruise on the Sapphire Princess, a party boat, through the canals of Freeport to raise money for the Villantes. He catered the event for free, and the owners of the Sapphire Princess operated it at no cost.

Sciortino heard about Giovanni, the 12-year-old for whom he is running next month, through his work at St. Christopher’s. Renee Villante, Giovanni’s mother, is a secretary at the school. He recently organized a Christmas party for Giovanni, complete with presents, Christmas carolers and Santa Claus.

John Fellin, Cyndi Fellin’s husband, Sciortino’s longtime friend and the Oceanside Herald’s 2017 Person of the Year, said he was in awe of the way that Sciortino attaches himself to a family. “He really personalizes that attachment,” Fellin said. “It’s absolutely amazing to watch.”

Sciortino was born and raised in Oceanside, and graduated from Ocean-side High School in 1980. He earned an associate’s degree in biological sciences from SUNY Farmingdale in 1982.

He worked in retail for a few years, but in the early 1990s he was unemployed. At the time he was not yet married, and attending Mass regularly at St. Anthony’s in Oceanside. There something told him to get into catering. So he checked out books on the topic to learn as much as he could about the business.

Fellow St. Anthony’s parishioners told him to contact John Fellin, who owns Bruno’s on the Boulevard catering hall in Jackson Heights, Queens. “I helped him to connect some of the dots,” Fellin said. “I could tell right away that he was a very determined individual.” The two also worked together in the church’s youth ministry program.

As they forged a friendship, Cyndi Fellin started thinking that Sciortino would be a good person to introduce to her sister, Robin. “He was an all-around good guy,” Cyndi Fellin said.

Steve and Robin met in 1992, and were married in 1994. “He was a very calming soul to me,” Robin said. “He had a gentleness and a goodness about him. When I was with him, I felt comfortable.” Steve opened Delicious Moments shortly after. The couple moved to Baldwin with their daughter Nicole, now 21, in 1999.

Nicole said she has learned how to be a good person by watching her father. “He’s got a really big heart,” she said. “He’s definitely instilled that in me, and he always makes sure I know to give to others.” She said she hoped to run the Disney half marathon with her father one day.

Rattoballi, a past grand knight of the St. Christopher’s KOC, said that Sciortino has become more generous with each passing year over the last decade. “The more I’ve gotten to know him, the more generous he’s been,” Rattoballi said.

In addition to all the good deeds that he does, what impresses Sciortino’s family and friends the most is that he never looks for awards or recognition. “He’s just doing this out of the kindness of his heart,” Cyndi Fellin said.