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
On the covers of the original menus that we used for many years had biographical trivia of some of the prominent Italian people that made contributions to America. One of them was Arturo Toscanini. We listed him as the manager of The Metropolitan Opera House. Well on July 3, 1977 his grandson Walfredo Toscanini came in for … Read more
Buon Giorno, Aahh the first day of spring brings us all the excitement of new and fresh…………We are starting all our herbs for our herb garden. Basil, parsley, arrugula,etc. I hope our sage and rosemary come back. The mint is starting to peek through and will soon overtake the garden if we let it. Fresh herbs from the … Read more
Basil, basilico or as they say in napolitana – b(v)asinicola. Well, in napolitana I was never sure if they say it with a v or a b. I love this herb! It is considered the “king of herbs” by cooking authors. The tender light green silky leaves taste like anise. It has a strong pungent … Read more