Did you actually get to the bank?” “Nope. Just to the flower stand.” Jimmy Sunseri never tires of this exchange whose punchline is a foregone conclusion. “The big joke here is I’ll say I’m going to the bank and be back in 15 minutes. [The cashier] will say, ‘See you in an hour’,” said Jimmy, with his signature unlit cigar stuffed into one cheek.
He and his brother, Nino, are co-owners of the eponymous Jimmy & Nino Sunseri Co. and descendants of Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. fame. The Sunseri family’s presence in the Strip District is approaching the 120-year mark. It’s a milestone that has been accompanied by a certain amount of notoriety, the kind that turns a simple errand into a social event for the 68-year-old Jimmy and makes him a solid contender to be depicted on a Pittsburgh Mount Rushmore.
