ST. LOUIS — St. Louis' soccer team has made it clear they love toasted ravioli.
When CITY SC was first workshopping names in 2020, one of the highest-performing options with fans was the quirky "Ravioli Boyz" name. Since then, the suggestion has become the team's nickname, with some fans going all in.
The team seemingly upped the ante on Monday morning by asking fans to sign a petition to officially designate April 1 as "Toasted Ravioli Day." Later Monday evening, the team announced Mayor Tishaura Jones had certified the holiday.
Given the often silly nature of April Fools Day, many fans were left wondering whether the new holiday was genuine or a prank.
We dug into the facts to VERIFY.
The question
Is April 1 now "Toasted Ravioli Day" in St. Louis, thanks to City SC?
Our sources
- A St. Louis CITY SC spokesperson
- The St. Louis Mayor's Office
The answer
Yes, CITY SC did work with the Mayor's Office to officially designate April 1 as "Toasted Ravioli Day" in St. Louis.
What we found
St. Louis CITY SC isn't a stranger to toasted ravioli-themed April Fools Day stunts.
The team "announced" on April 1, 2022, that it would change its name to "Ravioli Boyz." While that name change only turned out to be a day-long, the team did release one-day-only merchandise to commemorate the short-lived name.
On April Fools' Day 2023, the team didn't have a prank, but instead partnered with jersey-maker Fokohaela to release "Ravioli Boyz"-specific jerseys that they sold at an April 1 block party for the team.
The team had another half-prank on Monday. CITY SC's social media accounts and the team's app encouraged people to sign a petition to make Toasted Ravioli Day an official holiday on April 1.
CITY SC spokespeople later confirmed to 5 On Your Side that the petition itself was a prank, but only a small one. In reality, the team had already worked with St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones' office to craft a proclamation designating April 1 as Toasted Ravioli Day.
Jones signed that proclamation Monday morning, St. Louis Director of Communications Conner Kerrigan told 5 On Your Side.
"The toasted ravioli has always held a special place in our hearts here," a CITY SC spokesperson told 5 On Your Side. "It unifies our region like parsley and parmesan, and it deserves its own day where we can all celebrate its contributions to our culture."
We can VERIFY: Yes, April 1 is now officially known as "Toasted Ravioli Day" in St. Louis, thanks to CITY SC.
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