What were they talking about during this West Hempstead podcast?

“The Fontanas” is a relatable family dramedy — especially if your family involves hidden mafia ties, earth-shattering secrets, and a quest to learn about your deceased father’s hidden past. The cast appeared on the West Hempstead-based Long Island Breakfast Club Show to talk about the show’s upcoming premier — and to give audiences a taste of what’s to come.

The podcast show is cohosted by Gregory Cajuste and Valentina Janek of the Long Island Breakfast Club, a West Hempstead-founded club that helps middle-aged people find employment, and is filmed at G’s, Cajuste’s restaurant and live music venue on Hempstead Avenue. Janek herself plays Jakie Caretti, the family matriarch.

The Aug. 28 episode focused on the upcoming final episodes of the show’s first season, which was filmed in locations across Long Island and was created by Lindenhurst native Gerry Ferretti. 

“It’s about life,” Angela C. Parker, who plays Nora Caretti, said. “Anybody will be able to relate to it — it’s funny, it’s serious, it’s got everything.”

“It really is like a big Italian family,” Wendell Laurent, who plays Frank Caretti, said. “Everyone talking at the same time. Every emotion.”

He said that even though the series includes some more serious themes, like mafia ties and deaths in the family, it does so with a refreshing balance of levity and humor that makes it perfect for audiences who need a break from a seemingly constant barrage of bad news.

“It’s just a positive environment with passionate people,” said Parker of filming the show. “It inspires me to stay motivated and keep going. That things can happen, dreams do come true.”

The show is a glimpse into the inner workings of a typical Long Island Italian family: a well-meaning — but perhaps overbearing — matriarch, four brothers who fight and love each other in equal measure, and of course, huge family dinners. Creator and writer Gerry Ferretti — who also costars in the show as Freddy Caretti — said the series is loosely based on his own life. 

“When my father passed, it changed my family,” Ferretti said. “That patriarch absence. How it changed — that’s where the fiction comes in.”

The on-screen connection between the cast is more than just good acting. Those involved with “The Fontanas” support each others’ endeavors outside the show, and describe themselves as a family.

“Everybody genuinely loves each other,” Ferretti said. “There’s a trust between us.”

“We’ve become like a little family,” Joseph Ferraro, who plays Tony, said. “Everyone’s putting a lot of good energy toward it.”

The Long Island influence is apparent throughout the show, and was purposely woven into the script by Ferretti.

“Long Island is a big part of it,” he said. “I always joke that I want to do for Lindenhurst what ‘Rocky’ did for Philly.”

Ferraro himself grew up in an Italian household in Uniondale, but says a family of any ethnicity can identify with the dynamics on the show. 

“You relate,” Ferraro said. It’s well-written, it’s funny, and we all can say ‘yeah, that’s like my sister, or my brother.’”

Discussions about collaborating with a streaming service have been in the works, Ferretti said. But for now, audiences can see an exclusive screening of “The Fontanas” on Oct. 18 to kick off the fifth annual New York Long Island Film Festival, which Ferretti created in 2019.

To learn more about the film festival, visit NYLIFF.com. To watch the Aug. 28 podcast episode, visit LongIslandBreakfastClubShow.com. For teaser trailers and more, visit FerrettiFilms.com or “Following the Fontanas” on Facebook.