Ralph “Hack” Pasqurella was born in Melrose Park in 1917 to Gaetano and Gabriella Chiero Pasqurella, who immigrated to the U.S. as teens. His father came from Melizzano in Campania and his mother from Trivigno in Basilicata. Pasqurella’s father died during the 1918 flu epidemic while his mother was pregnant with their second child. She eventually remarried and had six more children.

Pasqurella’s maternal grandmother lived with the family and he remembered her as a hard worker, whether she was gardening in the backyard or cooking. He especially loved her macaroni. The family belonged to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish and relatives always gathered together for the Feast Day in July. His grandmother cooked and cooked, he said, and the celebration was almost bigger than Christmas.