The youngest of four sons, Eric Marella was born in Melrose Park to Dominic and GraceAnn (Russo) Marella. He grew up surrounded by family on both sides. His father’s parents emigrated from Marche and Tuscany, and his mother’s family from Basilicata.

The family sat down to Sunday dinners of pasta with neck bones and sausage, never knowing who might stop in. “It’s always great when you hear a knock on the door, or the doorbell, you opened the door and see your aunts and uncles,” Marella says.