When Pascal, of Cranford, and co-owner Francis Schott of Jersey City built their first restaurant, Stage Left, in 1992 after years of working in local eateries, they frequented New York City restaurant auctions, including some in Brooklyn, to outfit their new steak restaurant since they were “as poor as can be,” Pascal said..

“If I’m in Brooklyn, my grandmother will smell me, so we needed to stop by her house and it didn’t matter what day it was, she was always cooking something since she was getting Sunday dinner ready and we would get some section of the meal,” Pascal said. “Francis said that one day, we had to open a restaurant based on her food and I said, ‘Who would want to order this at a restaurant when you get it at home?’ That’s when he informed me that many people don’t get to have that kind of food at home.”