The Story
My background
Connies Restaurant Richmond Hill Queens NY - Fuhgettaboutit!
The real me
Where my culinary journey started!
Stories from the Neighborhood… the best stories are the true ones!
We begin with a family style restaurant tucked back into a sub-neighborhood of Queens NY- Richmond Hill. Under an “L” train (for those uninitiated it is an elevated train screaming through your apartment window or restaurant 20 feet away!) One would call it a “hole in the wall”! This joint was famous for its ambiance and good old fashion Italian hospitality! My grandfather would hug, kiss and embrace anyone who came through his doors. It was genuine, sincere gesture of true thankfulness that you were coming to his restaurant to eat. I was like a fly on the wall, 8 years old at the time, who knows… but I remember the green pimento stuffed olives!! I would rush into the restaurant and make a b line to the olives, which were tucked away on the bottom of a sliding makeshift commercial refrigerator that was once used by a florist! I would take my small hand and reach into the large jar of olives dive into the brine and retrieve several olives and launch them into my tiny mouth all at once… it was heaven to me!
"There was a moment in my young developing mind where I knew this was my calling"
Back then I was a pretty good baseball player who had a great arm, in addition to being a power hitter! I loved hanging out with my friends! What I really loved was going to my grandfather’s restaurant, sitting at the long table next to the old phone booth (ask me about this when we get together!) Listening to the conversations and observing, I was a sponge.
I always wanted to work at the restaurant, but my grandfather told me " I don't hire family “ what did I know I was just a kid! I persisted and I finally got a job! Little did I know that my job would entail a lot more than just getting into the kitchen and grinding mozzarella! !I first had to start at the bottom. My first job was to take a # tomato can filled with "Pine Sol" and water with a clean white rag and scrub the bathrooms!!
Once I was done with the bathrooms I was then given a pail with a mop doused with bleach/water and was told to mop the dining room floors as well as the kitchen…. I did it and was thankful that I had a job at the restaurant hoping to finally making it to the kitchen!
My long journey to the kitchen finally came to pass aftervI cleaned the bathrooms mopped the floors than I was able to enter the glorious kitchen.... only to begin the sacred task of doing dishes!!! Once I completed the dishes I was then allowed to do prep which entailed a whole lot of grunt work. Back in those days we made everything from scratch including the pizza dough! We would grind our own cheese, mixed our own pizza dough by had with lard, puree fresh tomatoes for a sauce, peeled copious amounts of garlic heads, and countless other tasks that I can't even remember!! Oh I forgot we had a backyard behind the kitchen…. the kitchen was so small, so we had the roll all of our meatballs out in the yard place them on a commercial size sheet pan with my little hands rolling the balls making sure they were tight and lined up on the pans like "piccolo" soldiers ready for battle!
This was a different time, where everything was intertwined, I met politicians, lawyers, mafiosa, baseball players and celebrities. To me they were just people and to my grandfather they were also just people who he loved, hugged, just like the regular Joe, each one got the same treatment! We had priests who were going to seminary and ,my grandfather would feed them ,ingratiate them and tell them “Your money is no good here!” I remember seeing homeless people walking past our store and my grandfather inviting them in to sit down and I thought why would you do that?? they smelled, not good for business… you know what he told me? Everybody deserves a good meal! I took that with me all my life and tried to serve the less fortunate with my food, love, money and kindness all my life.
You can only assess your life based on where you came from and the experiences you have had, you're a product not only of your upbringing but of your generational DNA…. it goes back thousands of years. My DNA has taken me here… and now. I would love to share my story and food with you! Reach out to me to discuss a meal so we can share the gift of food, fellowship and life together!
The best place to experience this is in you home. I will cook the food that I grew up with, sharing my stories, (some that cannot be published) along with your friends/family !! I look forward to gracing your home, cooking in your kitchen and creating a lasting aroma of great food, stories and fellowship!!
Gourmet on the Go
Gourmet on the Go- My Gourmet Shop/Catering Biz in Rockville Centre LI during my first year of marriage! What a mustache! Who knew just a few years later Black Friday 1989 would happen shuttering our business and having to regroup for the next adventure!
RAVE REVIEWS
We did the Date Night cooking class with Chef Michael Epifanio! It was so much fun, and we learned so many techniques and tricks during the class. Chef Michael was super encouraging and enthusiastic- the time flew by! He let us learn by doing, so we really felt like we had accomplished something when we were done. The food was amazing, and I can’t wait to make the meal again at home. We will definitely be taking more classes! It was a blast!