Here's to Mom
Kitchen inspirations begin with family, where tradition is passed along with passion
(Excerpted)
Grandmother made all the difference in the life of Mark Pascal, co-owner (with Francis Schott) of the New Brunswick restaurants Stage Left and Catherine Lombardi.
"Catherine Lombardi was my grandmother and she had a tremendous influence on my life," says Pascal, whose stylish eatery is an homage to his nonna.
"Growing up, about 40 Sundays a year, our entire family, some 25 people, would gather at grandma's house in Brooklyn for Sunday dinner." Cold antipasti, pasta, meatballs and sausage, a leg of lamb or fresh ham, followed by salad and brought-in pastries was the bill of fare. The menu at Catherine Lombardi, prepared by executive chef Anthony Bucco, is based on grandma's recipes. Pascal's mother, Elaine Lombardi Pascal, passed these recipes to her son.
On Sundays, Catherine Lombardi offers Grandma Lombardi's four-course dinner (antipasti, macaroni, main course and dessert) for a prix fixe.
Meanwhile, you'll find Mark Pascal at home. "Sundays are reserved for family," he says. "It's one of the most important things my grandma taught me." Another important lesson: "I realize now that my love of hospitality and the restaurant business was born on those Sundays at grandma's house."
--Sharon J. Gintzler, for the Star-Ledger
(Wednesday, May 09, 2007)