Paul Castelucci memorial card
A few of you’ve got seen my video presentation (or witnessed it stay eventually yr’s Pizza Expo and in addition on the Atlantic Metropolis Pizza and Pasta Present East, wherein I inform the story of Mama’s Pizzeria and Cheese Steaks, my childhood go-to place for the most effective pizza and cheese steaks in Philadelphia. For individuals who haven’t heard my speak, here’s a hyperlink to the unique model, delivered in Charlotte on the June, 2018 Artistic Mornings gathering: https://creativemornings.com/talks/peter-reinhart
Within the presentation I recount the affect of Mama’s, the place pizzaiolo Paul Castelucci launched me and my household to what turned, for a few years, my benchmark gold customary for pizza. His spouse, Merry, later joined him to move up the cheese steak and hoagie station the place, once more, I fell equally in love with Mama’s cheese steaks and, even to today, have by no means had a greater one. Now, as all of you understand, such fond meals reminiscences are loaded with emotional baggage and territorial chauvinism — all of us probably have such childhood benchmark locations and there’s no proper or incorrect with regards to arguing for his or her supremacy. But it surely wasn’t till a few years after I left Philly and started writing about bread and pizza that I noticed how profoundly Mama’s had imprinted itself upon me. I’ll say no extra right here — watch the video in case you’d like to listen to the remainder of the story, or come to Las Vegas on March thirtieth the place I’ll inform it once more at Pizza Expo 2020.
The rationale I’m scripting this submit is to share the information I just lately obtained from Paul’s daughter Mary, that on Jan. twelfth Paul handed away on the age of 92, after 68 years of marriage to Merry. Their son, Paul Jr., nonetheless runs Mama’s, on Belmont Ave. in Bala Cynwyd, PA (just some miles outdoors of Phila.) and I urge you to go, in case you can, and check out one in all his cheese steaks. He realized properly from his personal mama and makes, in my estimation (and I’m not alone on this matter), the most effective cheese steak on the planet.
Listed here are three pictures that bookend the Mama’s interval of my life: Paul on the counter again in 1958 or ’59, Merry on the hoagie station a number of years later, and Paul and Merry extra just lately. These pictures remind me of the photograph from circa 1966, on the wall of Dominic DeMarco’s DiFara Pizzeria in Brooklyn, of a younger, good-looking, darkish haired pizza maker, hanging simply above the present residing Dom, 55 years later, standing in the identical spot as within the photograph, nonetheless making pizzas his manner.
I by no means thought an excessive amount of of pizza as a time capsule container however, hey, what higher strategy to observe the inevitable passage of time, filled with fond meals reminiscences and many taste and savor. Relaxation in peace, Paul, and thanks once more for the reminiscences….
Paul in 1958 or ’59
Merry making hoagies.
Paul and Merry again in 2016.
Paul Castelucci memorial card
A few of you’ve got seen my video presentation (or witnessed it stay eventually yr’s Pizza Expo and in addition on the Atlantic Metropolis Pizza and Pasta Present East, wherein I inform the story of Mama’s Pizzeria and Cheese Steaks, my childhood go-to place for the most effective pizza and cheese steaks in Philadelphia. For individuals who haven’t heard my speak, here’s a hyperlink to the unique model, delivered in Charlotte on the June, 2018 Artistic Mornings gathering: https://creativemornings.com/talks/peter-reinhart
Within the presentation I recount the affect of Mama’s, the place pizzaiolo Paul Castelucci launched me and my household to what turned, for a few years, my benchmark gold customary for pizza. His spouse, Merry, later joined him to move up the cheese steak and hoagie station the place, once more, I fell equally in love with Mama’s cheese steaks and, even to today, have by no means had a greater one. Now, as all of you understand, such fond meals reminiscences are loaded with emotional baggage and territorial chauvinism — all of us probably have such childhood benchmark locations and there’s no proper or incorrect with regards to arguing for his or her supremacy. But it surely wasn’t till a few years after I left Philly and started writing about bread and pizza that I noticed how profoundly Mama’s had imprinted itself upon me. I’ll say no extra right here — watch the video in case you’d like to listen to the remainder of the story, or come to Las Vegas on March thirtieth the place I’ll inform it once more at Pizza Expo 2020.
The rationale I’m scripting this submit is to share the information I just lately obtained from Paul’s daughter Mary, that on Jan. twelfth Paul handed away on the age of 92, after 68 years of marriage to Merry. Their son, Paul Jr., nonetheless runs Mama’s, on Belmont Ave. in Bala Cynwyd, PA (just some miles outdoors of Phila.) and I urge you to go, in case you can, and check out one in all his cheese steaks. He realized properly from his personal mama and makes, in my estimation (and I’m not alone on this matter), the most effective cheese steak on the planet.
Listed here are three pictures that bookend the Mama’s interval of my life: Paul on the counter again in 1958 or ’59, Merry on the hoagie station a number of years later, and Paul and Merry extra just lately. These pictures remind me of the photograph from circa 1966, on the wall of Dominic DeMarco’s DiFara Pizzeria in Brooklyn, of a younger, good-looking, darkish haired pizza maker, hanging simply above the present residing Dom, 55 years later, standing in the identical spot as within the photograph, nonetheless making pizzas his manner.
I by no means thought an excessive amount of of pizza as a time capsule container however, hey, what higher strategy to observe the inevitable passage of time, filled with fond meals reminiscences and many taste and savor. Relaxation in peace, Paul, and thanks once more for the reminiscences….
Paul in 1958 or ’59
Merry making hoagies.
Paul and Merry again in 2016.
