EMERSON—In our featured photo, dated to autumn, 1964, Dominick Brescia measures the enormous squash he grew in his garden in Emerson. This amazing specimen, which he grew from seeds sent from a friend in Naples, Italy, measured 29.5 inches long, 1 foot in diameter, and weighed in at a hefty 43 pounds.
Brescia was 22 when he came to the United States from Italy in 1912. He was granted citizenship after volunteering to fight during World War I. The other photograph on this page shows him in his Army uniform.
Dominick and his wife, Catherine, settled on Clinton Street in Emerson and had five children. The family was active in local life in the borough and are still well-known to many in town. Dominick cultivated a large garden in which he grew vegetables as well as grapes that he used to make his own wine.
In 1965 the Westwood News followed up:
“The exchange of squash seeds was finally made this last weekend between Dominick Brescia of Emerson and Tom Passarella of the Bronx. With seeds from Italy, both grew gigantic vegetables last year. It will be most interesting to see what these second-generation seeds will now produce in the respective soils in the Bronx and Emerson. This could be the end of the world’s food problem—if you like squash. Can you grow a steak like that?”