On September 23, 1904, the Queen City Macaroni Manufacturing
Company was incorporated on Railroad Avenue in Elmira by three Italian
immigrants, Charles Gargana, Jacob Patti, and Joseph Cili. The men made
macaroni in Italy before immigrating here. Change was quickly on the horizon
for the company.
 |
| Elmira Star-Gazette, April 13, 1905 |
In April 1905, the Star Gazette reported that the factory
would be leaving Elmira for Watkins Glen. The Elmira factory was too small to
support the number of orders placed and the owners were courted by the Watkins
Board of Trade. The new factory was projected to employ 20 people and use
150-175 barrels of flour per month. One barrel of flour equaled about 250
pounds of macaroni (so they were expected to produced between 37,500-43,750
pounds of macaroni per month).
Problems plagued the new factory. In June, the 5-year-old son
of one of the proprietors got his arm stuck in a machine, mangling it to the
point that amputation seemed a certainty. In July, the Queen City Macaroni
company was in court. Albert Pecararo, the Watkins man who helped them secure
their new factory building, claimed he was never compensated for his services.
 |
| Elmira Star-Gazette, August 1, 1910 |
By 1910, the company was back in Elmira. They advertised 5
pounds of macaroni for 25 cents. They also sold imported goods, like cheese,
olive oil, and olives.
In November 1911, the Ignatius Gross Company of New York City
sued them for $105.32 and for goods purchased. That same month, the Italian
Importing Company, also of NYC, sued them for $64.33 in unpaid fees for
materials purchased. They failed to pay their taxes in 1912 and 1913. The
company doesn’t show up in the city directory or the newspapers after that.
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