Giulio Padalino has two Palermos: the Sicilian town he grew up near, and the recently-renovated restaurant he owns in Bordentown. He also owns the Palermo’s in Roebling. Padalino was born in Casteltermini, an old-fashioned little town near Palermo, Sicily, with “horses on the street and chickens running around”—as seen in the Godfather films, he says. There was no movie theater and not too many cars.

Every Sunday his family went to church. Schools were “more serious” than in the United States—classes six days a week, no multiple-choice tests. Students had to stand up when talking to a teacher. “Over there,” he says, “you learn more.”