Born on June 4th 1945 in St. Joseph’s Hospital in Paterson New Jersey. Papa Joe was raised in Pompton Lakes New Jersey until he was 15 years old. There was a little over 10,000 people living there and I think that today there is a little over 10,000 living there. Do I hear Mayberry? In 1960 his family moved to Wayne New Jew Jersey where he graduated Wayne High School in 1963. His first part time job was as a "Soda Jerk" in T Bowl Luncheonette, he knew right from the beginning that cooking was going to be his life. His father was diagnosed with lung cancer in Papa Joes high school senior year, and they discussed what Joe should do when he finished high school. He told his father that he would like to go to culinary arts school, but his father told him that there was no future in cooking. Being a good Italian son, he listened to his father and he entered college after he graduated high school and one year later, in June of 1964, his father died. In November of that year Papa Joe purchased a small take out Italian Restaurant in Riverdale New Jersey. Riverdale was the town that his grandparents settled in 1907. It is a small town with about 2800 people, and is located next to Pompton Lakes. When he purchased the restaurant, Royal Pizza, Joe asked my mother to teach him how to cook like she did at home. He took these recipes and multiplied the quantities to fill his needs at the restaurant. An example of this is spaghetti sauce. At home mom would make enough for maybe two or three meals, but in the restaurant we would use 20 to 25 gallons every Friday. The one thing that his mother taught him was to use quality ingredients. If you start with low quality or cheap ingredients, you end up with low quality food. When he first took over the restaurant it was only take out with home delivery service. Joe expanded first by specializing in off premise catering, then he added a small dining room, and even purchased a liquor license. After Papa Joe sold the business in 1975, and he worked in sales service related jobs within the food industry.
Grandma Libbie, also has experience in food service since 1969. She started as a Bakery Manager for a large bakery. Then as a Restaurant Manager and finally a Culinary and Nutrition Manager for a large hospital corporation where she still works today. Together with her they have written Papa Joes Kitchen Table. Along with family recipes, it also has recipes that they have both obtained and created over the years. A few years ago their daughter reminded them they were the only ones who had access to the family recipes. So they started writing this book, as they wanted to share their family recipes.
Food and meals play a very important part in Italian family traditions. Every Sunday Joe knew where he was going to be, at Grandma and Grandpa Pompeo’s house. He never resented going there, and in fact he used to look forward to going there. Papa Joe have always said that if he could relive just one day in his life, it would be a Christmas Eve at Grandma Pompeo's house. They would arrive there at 4:00 in the afternoon, and as many of you might know Christmas Eve meant that you ate Seafood, and in fact the tradition calls for seven different fishes, and they would eat for hours. They would go home about midnight, and the next morning they would be up early and open their present, and return to Grandma’s house by 11:00 and start all over again
Things have changed over the years. Meals were that time of day when the whole family was together. It was a happy time of day. I hope that if there is one thing that you take from this book is you spend time with your entire family. Plan the meals together, allow your children to be able to participate with the planning, the preparation and the eating of the meals. I hope that your Kitchen Table will create such fond memories for you and all your family as much as mine did for me.
With all this mind I dedicate this book to Nana Rose, my mother, who not only taught me how to cook, but how to appreciate life.