Where else but in Dutchess County can you find a recipe with the ingredients of James Cagney, Floyd Patterson (world heavyweight boxing champion 1956-59, 1960-62) and Coppola’s Restaurant? I didn’t realize what good friends James Cagney and Floyd Patterson were. When we relocated Coppola’s Restaurant at 825 Main Street in 1979 my father so appreciative … Read more
James Cagney and his wife were loyal customers at our restaurant since the early ’70s. He was such a down to earth guy. He never conducted himself as an unapproachable celebrity. It wasn’t until we moved to this location that James Cagney and my father got very friendly. Mr. Cagney and his wife would usually … Read more
I always think of the parable of Jesus feeding a huge crowd of people with 5 loaves of Barley bread and 2 fish when I think about the huge snow storm of 2009. We were debating whether to close or not that ugly winter day when we received a phone call at home from a … Read more
Did you all know that John Travolta came to have dinner at our restaurant? Yes! He did… he really really did! It was in 1985. James Cagney was John Travolta’s idol. So he came to Dutchess County to visit James Cagney and of course Mr. Cagney brought him to his favorite Italian restaurant. Naturally, I … Read more
Hey all! This is going to be a short post today. But I just wanted to tell you about this woman that came into the restaurant last night and shared her story with my husband. It brought a tear to my eye as Jim recanted the story. It never ceases to amaze me how generous … Read more
If there is one word to describe my dad it would be the word generous especially at Christmas! Much planning went into gathering boxes of wines and liquors that he would give out as gifts to say thank you. Two couples that stand out that were just as generous as my father. One couple was … Read more
When I turned on the TV the other morning Meadowlark Lemon jumped out at me. Since I started writing on this blog all kinds of things trigger my memory. Meadowlark was promoting his new book, Trust Your Next Shot: A Guide to a Life of Joy. Yep, Meadowlark Lemon came to Coppola’s for dinner! It was … Read more
When my husband and I got married in November 1980 our friend Joe Bertolozzi played the organ at our wedding. He played Mozart’s Joy as we walked out of the church. He played so beautifully and magnificently we wanted to go back in and enjoy the rest of his rendition. When Joe came in a … Read more
Gosh I almost forgot to tell you about Coppola’s Restaurant and President Richard Nixon. It all goes back a beautiful day in October 1971. President Nixon’s younger brother Ed came to a luncheon to address Dutchess County Federation of Women’s Republican Clubs at our restaurant, Coppola’s on 273 Main Street. It was a crazy day … Read more
With Charlie Sheen headlining all news stories lately I thought of the day his dad, Martin Sheen came for dinner at our restaurant. It was May 27, 1983. I was expecting my first born son and was quite a spectacle. When I think back I don’t know what I was thinking that instead hiding out … Read more