Buona Pasqua! Proudly, I am a first-generation Italian. My mom, with my grandparents and three siblings, emigrated from Vasto, Italy, settling in da Bronx, where Gaetano and Graziella – that’s my Nonna – raised a garden-variety immigrant family.
My dad, Mario Perillo, Mr. Italy, had a similar background, but his birth certificate said “Da Bronx,” and my grandfather, Joseph Perillo, set up his first office, Joseph Perillo & Sons, right on Third Avenue at 4545, and raised his four boys along with Nanny, Dora there. The tomato never falls far from the plant, and you can never take Belmont out of anybody.
