June 13, 2025 • 45 mins
What happens when a Hells Angel chef teams up with a lawyer who loves food? In this captivating conversation, Chef Tony and Mike Imprevento reveal the remarkable origin story of Luce Norfolk and how an unexpected partnership created a culinary landmark.
Their journey begins with "Fat Fuck Sundays" at the Hells Angels clubhouse, where Tony's cooking talents caught Mike's attention. Despite the challenges of opening a restaurant - especially with a Hells Angel as a chef - Mike recognized Tony's extraordinary culinary skills and unwavering determination. "Failure is not an option," Tony declared during their first meeting, words that would define their successful collaboration.
The conversation went deep into their shared passion for authentic Italian cuisine, exploring how food connects us to our heritage. Both men describe food as "sanguine" - something in the blood - and share fascinating stories about Italian culinary traditions, from ancient olive groves in Calabria to the reverence with which Italians approach daily food shopping. Their discussion contrasts European food cultures with American eating habits, lamenting how many have lost touch with cooking as an act of communication and love.
Tony's commitment to quality stays the same to date with his second location and a new market on the way. "I'll shut the place down before I have to sacrifice quality for quantity," he states firmly, explaining how he refuses to compromise his culinary standards regardless of business pressures. This dedication to authenticity has made Luce Norfolk a beloved spot that stays busy and has become a Norfolk staple.
Whether you're a food enthusiast, aspiring restaurateur, or simply love stories of unlikely partnerships, this episode offers a raw and unfiltered exploration of how passion, heritage, and determination can create something truly special. Tune in to discover how two passionate guys found common ground through their love of Italian cuisine and created the start of a lasting culinary legacy.
Watch Mike's show here: https://wnis.com/mike-imprevento/
Welcome to the show! Burnt Hands Perspective
VIRTUAL TIP JAR: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2388325/support
CONTACT US:
www.burnthandsperspective.com
info@reframeyourbrand.com
IG @Theburnthandsperspective
Thank you to our location sponsor, Luce Secondo, located in Summit Pointe in Chesapeake, VA www.lucesecondo.com
For sponsorship opportunities, don't hesitate to get in touch with us directly.
*The views and opinions on this show are meant for entertainment purposes only. They do not reflect the views of our sponsors. We are not here to babysit your feelings, if you are a true industry pro, you will know that what we say is meant to make you laugh and have a great time. If you don't get that, this is not the podcast for you. You've been warned. Enjoy the ride!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, here we are.
We have a legend, we have alocal legend in the house today.
Legend to me.
Legend to me, his name the man,the myth.
Not a legend yet, is he?
Speaker 2 (00:09):
No, there's no legend .
Yeah, you are.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Mike Improvento right here.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Hey, Mike.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Gay, mike Gay.
Hey, if Tony says so I'm allabout it.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Let me tell everybody something.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
My hero over here.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
so I'm all about it.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Let me tell everybody something, my hero over here, a
couple of things I'm doing.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
One thing is I'm introducing a really good friend
of mine, hard locking this dudedown.
Man.
This is like the third time.
Very busy, very active.
He has a phenomenal radio show,really well respected in the
community.
Has been serving the communityin one way or another for
decades, going all the way backto veteran.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
He's a veteran, so he's in the military here.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
I am speaking for him like I'm your narrator.
No, he does a better job than Iwould.
I'm like Morgan Freeman, overhere narrating your life.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
It's okay.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
So the reason why I'm wearing my Hells Angel shirt
today and the reason why I'mvery proud of being in my club
and being with this man righthere is because, kristen you
know I've told you, but I'lltell you again this is the first
guy who believed in me enoughto as a Hells Angel back then,
where I really wasn't doinganything more than just trying
to get by in life.
He's the first guy.
(01:13):
You and your wife Yolanda werethe first people to actually put
their faith in me and believein me enough to make me or
become a partner with me to beable to make all this happen In
the restaurant.
So the original OG of LuceNorfolk and I he's the original
guy that started it, me being aHells Angels all the time, a
little down on my luck, justworking, trying to get through,
(01:34):
trying to be doing the rightthing.
Like I said, this man, thankyou again put his faith in it
and he didn't have much of achance after we started because
it was just fucking snowballingand everything went to hell
there.
But thank you very much sir.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
That's why you're here.
That's why I'm wearing my shirt.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
It's a.
It's a tribute.
And I love and I love it allman.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
You know I've been in the two wheel community for a
long time and I have atremendous amount of respect for
your club, going back from whenI was in New York and the
legendary New York Hells AngelsClubhouse and Chuck Zito and the
whole group.
I grew up with that stuff and Itotally you people mean a lot
to me because I know the actualtruth about you all and you're
(02:14):
just really good people who, inlarge part, I find incredibly
intelligent.
I'm a lawyer and some of thesmartest people I ever met are
in your club and you're includedHere'm a lawyer, some of the
smartest people I ever met arein your club and you're included
.
Here's the deal.
I knew a little bit about whoyou were and word of mouth was
he's really good, he's a chef,but he can't find.
(02:38):
People are scared, you know.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
They don't want.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Hell's angel, I'm not going to get in business, not
gonna get business, but I knew.
Plus, I was doing a service tothe community because you were
trying to make ends meet and Ididn't want you to go into a
7-eleven with a mask on yeah,right, save the briefcase.
Yeah, I got a briefcase and amask and I don't want to be, I
don't want to have to use it.
I said you won't have to use it.
So my wife and I wanted to getinto the restaurant business.
(03:03):
I've always loved food, I'vealways loved cooking.
I'm an Italian from you know myfamily's, from Calabria, in
which we will talk about, yes,and I was always about it.
I love to cook.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
And I'm like this guy this guy.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
This guy, he's got something.
And the thing that I noticed atthe time and not you know,
having somewhat of a notion ofstreet smarts he's got drive.
And when you met with Yolandaand I, it was at the law firm
and you came up there and youhad your colors on and
everything didn't bother us atall.
(03:35):
Sat down, you told us what yourpassion was and you said
failure is not an option.
Now, when you say failure isnot an option, I took it to
heart.
Restaurants, what one?
Two out of ten?
Yeah, especially with thegedrules that open them.
Yeah, a lot of them.
There's a lot of them thatreally are way above their skis.
They're way in front of theirskis.
They just can't do it.
(03:56):
They can't.
But I knew you could,especially because of Fat Fuck
Sundays at the clubhouse, I gota lot of great input.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
I got a lot of great input from Big and Little Tony.
So we had Fat Fuck Sundays.
So what happened is everySunday at the clubhouse back
then, we'd all get together andI'd cook the pasta, we'd sit
around and we'd eat pasta and dothe whole thing, we'd break the
bread and drink wine and justbe together as a family.
We still do that, but not asoften as a Fat Fuck Sunday.
So we called it Fact FuckSunday because you weren't
walking out of there skimming no, if you did?
(04:25):
You weren't invited back.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
No, and it was.
Let me tell you, the reviews Igot were jeez.
I mean, everything he makes isamazing.
So we decided you know whatlet's do this.
And what was good about Tony isthe resourcefulness we opened
up Luce in Norfolk with very.
I mean, it was decent money,but it wasn't that much.
(04:47):
Compared to what it takes isminimal.
Yeah exactly Below minimal andyou had some people that were
friends of the club, that weregood with a hammer, and we put
it together and I was never.
I just want to say I have totalrespect for what you do, but I
don't have the personality.
The restaurant business what?
Speaker 1 (05:07):
do you mean the first night we were there?
You want to kill three people.
I want to kill.
I'm like I thought I was a badguy.
What happened, I don't know,Because there were people that
walked in there.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
There were people that walked in there and I'm a
lawyer who hates lawyers, okay,okay, I don't like lawyers, but
I am one because it's all I knewhow to do and I wanted to make
my grandfather proud.
So the lawyers come in therethe ones that I was just in
court fighting with and theybring their fucking wives in
there and they start complainingabout this drink is not strong
(05:39):
enough.
Yeah, well, because you're afucking alcoholic.
That's why it's not strongenough.
If I gave you the bottle, youwouldn't like it.
And then you know they wouldleave a couple of bielas of
pasta in there and I'd say what?
You don't like it.
And they did like it, but theydidn't want to eat it all.
But I would send Tony, I wouldsend the Hells Angels chapter
(05:59):
president to be nice to thepeople.
And here I am.
I don't want to be nice to them, I don't like it.
And it was a difficult.
It's such a grind.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
A hospitality business is very hard to like.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Very hard.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
You have to have a passion for it, and I didn't
Except for the food and Tony andhis crew and outside the food.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
I just I'm not a people person, I'm a miserable
prick.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
And you're not the only one who will say that.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
It's on his website.
It's a tagline on the website,is it?
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Yeah, I can't help it .
So I'm like this guy is amazing.
We did it, you did it and Istayed out of your way.
That was the key was to stayout of his way.
Let him do it, let him, andbefore you know it we got a menu
(06:53):
with the real deal.
You know, your rigging goose isstill a thing and the whole
idea was to just cut you loose.
And the people that you had runwith knew that you were on the
move.
They knew that you were openingup a place.
It kind of rattled them alittle bit because they knew
failure wasn't an option whenyou're involved and it wasn't.
(07:13):
My wife and I were gladly.
For three years we managed themain part of the bank, but you
did everything else and after awhile, like I told you, it was
going to be yours.
It's not for me.
If it was for me, the placewould have been out of business
because I'd have had peoplethrowing through the door.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Yeah, and let me tell you, without all that starting,
we would not be sitting in here, so you had a huge influx in
all this.
This is yes, of course.
I opened up this one.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
I moved on, but it wouldn't have started without
that, no Think about this.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Think about all the times.
You know the shit we had to gothrough because I was a hell's
angel.
The city, the fucking law, theABC commission, the lawyer of
the city, Everybody, justbecause I was who I was that's
where I helped Didn't want tohelp.
That's where he helped as alawyer there.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
That's where he helped as a lawyer, there would
have been no fucking way theywould have given me anything.
It was such a bias.
It was such a bias situation,that little dust up over the
clubhouse in Norfolk or whatever.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Let's not cry over spilled milk, but it was no, I
directly.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
I had litigated with the city attorney's office for a
long time.
I knew the city attorney andthe mayor and I basically told
them this is a good guy who'stalented.
Granby Street needs this now.
It was a good time to be onGranby Street because everything
was starting to build up.
They were putting apartmentsaround.
(08:42):
I said he's going to bringpeople and I got this.
I'm going to answer for whathappens in the beginning.
Chief of police comes up to meand goes.
We're going to keep an eye onit.
I said what the fuck you thinkit's going to be?
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Yeah, well, you come in, and eat some food.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Now he knows.
And I said you do what you gotto do.
He said no, no, it's, I don'tmean it that way.
I said this is going to work,it's going to be good for the
city.
And they didn't get in the way.
That's one thing.
Yeah, we helped with thestartup money.
We also helped with interfacewith the city, but then you took
it from there, you fit right in.
(09:19):
They knew, hey, this guy is nota risk.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Not at all.
So right now it would be a riskif I were to leave the city.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Yeah, exactly, I love this.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Now the city of Norfolk ended up in the end,
where we are now is a very goodrelationship, so I'm really well
into it the.
Civic League, all them peopledowntown who help me out and
stand behind me.
Now I stand behind them andit's a really, really good
relationship as far as me as abusiness owner and a business
personality with the downtowncommunity.
So the differences between who Iam as a person and who I am as
(09:48):
a Hells Angels are two totallydifferent things, but not really
.
I'm still a good person in bothworlds.
It's just a matter of um.
I'm a professional period and Idon't have time to fuck around
and I don't have time forpeople's daydreams and I don't
have time for people's fantasiesand their bullshit stories.
You're either going to produceor you're going to be on board
or I'm going to move on, andthat's the way it is, man, and
it has nothing to do with beingin a club or anything like that.
(10:11):
This just has to do with beinga man who's going to not take
shit, you know.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Right, exactly.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Now I get on my motorcycle.
I ride the damn thing.
I've been riding, the damnthing.
I've been riding.
She'd been riding well before Iwas in the club.
I was riding with her.
She has her own bike and herlicense.
We were friends back then.
She was riding.
So this goes all the way backand you ride.
When you say you ride in thetwo-wheel world, you ride hard.
You had one of the fastestbikes around for a while, that
dresser you had.
Yeah, I was, I raced, nottalking about a guy who just
(10:42):
rides around.
You hold records for speed on aHarley Davidson V-twin.
I did, yeah, you did.
And now that time has changedbecause technology has changed.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
It's the only reason that record was broken, I feel,
because at that time that wasraw motor, it was all motor and
a lot of money went into it anda lot of technology and your guy
, your crew, knows what it takesto get horsepower out of a
V-twin.
This was the twin cam.
It was one of the first 120motors and I really enjoyed
(11:12):
doing that.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
And it was on a street glide.
That's how I met.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
It was actually one of the Bayside Harley mechanics
and I sort of invented thestreet glide and I'll just say
that it's not like Al Goreinventing the glide and I'll
just say that it's not like AlGore inventing the internet, and
I'm not going that far.
But we took a, an electricglide, and we slammed it and we
blacked it out and we put a lotof horsepower on it so it looked
like a street glide, sure, andI took that to Maxton and, um,
(11:39):
I'm sure that they've, they've,they beat that, they moved, they
moved to Ohio, but at the itwas a big deal for me, yeah yeah
.
Because I wasn't your averagelawyer.
I really loved it and that'show I met some of you folks
because, the Hells Angels.
Drag racing is legendary, yep,and that's just something that
we clicked with and I know yourworld and I respect it and this
(12:08):
was all.
It was just great.
I mean Yolanda and I look ateach other and go two things.
We unleashed somebody veryimportant in the community who
understands Italian food and thereal Italian food, and we did a
good thing.
I mean that's what Yolanda andI do.
I mean we really we help peopleand we do it because we believe
in them and I think it workedout great here.
I mean we love this.
Yeah, I love it too.
We love that you did this.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Forever grateful on that.
So let's talk about the foodnow.
Let's get into the food becausewe can talk.
We both have a big conversationwe can talk all day long about
food oh, I love it.
So let's talk about it.
Let's get into the food,kristen, because that's really
what we need to talk about.
This guy here can cook, heunderstands food.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
We listen to your show.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Your show Yep, and you have a podcast as well.
You just kind of started up.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
We do.
My friend and I, brian LuckyLuciano, is a 26-year retired
Virginia Beach cop and we'vebeen friends for years and we
have a Sunday Gravy podcast andit's got a little bit of
traction.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
I love the name too.
We just have fun doing it.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Sunday.
Gravy, we did actually talkabout Sunday Gravy two weeks ago
for the first time because Imade some so the question is
this Gravy or sauce is the bigdebate now?
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Yeah, and I'm starting to see it on the
internet now online, so it seemslike sauce is starting to take
back over and people arestarting to shy away from this
word.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
What do you think?
I think that I use either sauceor sugo.
I think the gravy is anAmericanization.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Without a doubt.
Actually, I did some researchon that because that's just the
way I am.
You know where that reallystarted is in Rhode Island.
So that comes from Providence,rhode Island Federal Hill.
Oh, I didn't know that Gravystarted there and then moved its
way around People in New Jerseyuse it a lot too.
But and then moved its wayaround People in New Jersey use
it a lot too.
Okay, but it really started inProvidence, made its way down.
You had some guys that were,you know, a little on the other
(13:50):
side of the law back in the day,oh Providence.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Hey, may I see.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
What are you kidding?
So they would-.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
You got indicted and got reelected.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
So they would bring it down to New Jersey.
That's where it kind of tookoff.
But anyway, the gravy to me.
I'm not down with it.
I don't like the word.
It's not gravy.
Gravy goes on steak or meat orfucking chicken or turkey right.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
It's mashed potatoes, don't get me wrong, I love a
good brown gravy.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
But when it comes to sauce, a sugo, right Yo, let me
tell you something Everydifferent region.
You're a Cal Calabrian.
You're Calabrian by descent.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Yes, and Mezzo Siciliano, but I never knew that
side.
Really, it's mostly ReggioCalabria, yeah and that's a
great spot.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
And you're not far enough.
You're close enough to Sicily,there, to claim it anyhow.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
And the food and everything besides the peppers,
and the introduction of thatcapsicum which is really popular
in Calabria.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
I think they bleed it and breathe it.
You know what I mean.
My family's from Rome area.
Father was born in Sicily butgrew up in Civitavecchia area,
rome.
So I have the best of bothworlds is what I call it.
And then you get way up tonorthern Italy, which is the
food kind of changes prettydrastically up there.
Milan and Parma and all that.
The food gets really heavy,really dense, less tomato-based,
a lot more.
I guess the word gravy wouldfit better there.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Risotto Because of the osso bucco and the risotto.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
More butter than oil Right.
Well, back in the day, oliveoil wasn't introduced up there.
They didn't have olive oil upthere because it was.
This is a good little educationhere for people.
So back in the day, when Italywas kingdoms, they would stay
within their kingdom and theywould eat within their kingdoms
means right, whatever isindigenous to their land.
(15:30):
Well, south olives, olive trees, needed the heat.
They grew in the south, soolive oil was from the south.
It wasn't, didn't make its wayup.
So up north they use a lot oflardo and fat and butter and
that's how they cooked.
So that's's why the traditionsof the northern Italian food are
more along the lines of thatAustrian border and Germania and
all that stuff from back then.
Now, that is why the northernfoods in Italy are so much
(15:53):
butter-laden and cooked andstuffed pastas and rolled with
cheeses and mascarpone and allthis stuff.
That is because the olive oilwasn't even introduced to the
north on the regular back then.
Down south, olive oil was usedbecause butter was the opposite.
Right.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
That's right.
So cucina povera.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Yep, it's amazing stuff.
There's so much history comingout of Italy in Italian food
that infects the world.
Infects, really, because it'sinfectious.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
It has in many different ways.
My heart is in Sicilia, inCalabria, because of the
simplicity of the food.
But just because it's simpledoesn't mean that it's easy to
get the right balance.
It is an art form.
And I believe in the Southerncuisine a little bit more
(16:46):
because at my age I'm trying tobe a little bit more heart
healthy after a life of abuse ofpizza and destroying my
arteries.
But I do believe in the CucinoPavada of the South, the bacala
you know the people who saltedthe cod but also stockfish,
(17:06):
which is a cod prepared adifferent way, and they take
such pride.
Last time my daughter and Iwere there, we bought a house in
a very small town.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
So you're basically a resident.
Now you went and purchased ahouse in Calabria.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
And you've been going there, which I can't wait to go
out there and check out.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
No, we're going to have you there and we can't wait
actually for you to come outthere with anybody you want to
bring.
And we met a realtor who hasthe same last name as my
grandfather.
We may be related, so here'swhat the universe has conferred
on us.
Maybe because we did goodthings with you and my wife and
(17:44):
I did good things saving animalsand helping people that I walk
into a realtor in Sederno inCalabria, where my grandfather's
from.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Just on a whim, on a whim.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
We pick this one, my daughter picked it.
We walk in cold, sit down andthe senora comes out and she
doesn't speak English becauseshe's Italian, for God's sakes.
And she starts talking.
My daughter speaks a little bit, I speak a little bit and I
told her that my grandfather,girolamo Galea, came from
(18:16):
Sedarno.
Her eyes lit up.
She said mi marito Galea, soher husband's surname is galia,
as my grandfather.
And how many of those are insederno.
So he insists that we'redistant cousins or whatever.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
But that immediately started it so he took us out to
his wing discount on the house.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
No, well, a little bit they took a little bit off
and he took us around and hetook care of us and he still is,
and we have a fixer there andwhen we go he took us.
He was very proud.
They're very proud of theirfood and he took my daughter and
I to a very, very famousrestaurant there and I'm
embarrassed to say if I got thename in Mamala, which is a town
(19:01):
a little bit south of Sederno inCalabria, and stockfish.
Each course was a version ofstockfish.
There was a pasta stockfish,then there was a little bit of a
fish carpaccio, but it was allfish.
It was all incredibly healthybut delicious.
They love their oranges.
They're so proud of theirbergamot.
(19:22):
Delicious, the bergamot, theorange.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
I'm proud proud of their bergamot.
They're delicious, the bergamot, the orange.
I'm proud of it for them.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
Yeah, it is delicious .
They make their own liqueurs,so you might want a little
limoncello, you might want abergamot, and of course, they
bring out the espresso.
I don't know, there's somethingabout it that clicks, and I've
traveled the world with my and Idon't.
I'm not dismissive of anycuisine, because it's all part
(19:46):
of culture, but there'ssomething.
It's an innate bias.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
I have the same thing .
It's not even a question whatyou're saying it's blood
sanguine that's the whole thing.
It's the bloodline ofeverything, and there is nothing
better to me.
People can offer me to goanywhere in the world, and I'll
probably always go to Italy.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
And even though you could make it as good, you still
want to go and have it.
But it's everything, thoughit's the smell, it's the aroma,
it's everything about it,everything about it.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
It encapsulates everything that we are.
That's right so what you weretalking about before is how
people think that Italian foodis easy.
Good, Italian food is easy.
It's only easy when youunderstand it.
But you have to get tounderstand it, and that's not
easy, right.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Right the layering.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
There's a million ways you can make a tomato good.
There's a million ways you cantake an Italian plum tomato that
has really grown ripe with thesun.
Okay, if you cook it at thebeginning of the month, it's
going to be different than theend of the month.
On the vine, you're going toget a different flavor.
If you cook it too long, you'regoing to get a different
sweetness.
If you cook it too short,you're going to get more acid.
If you add salt at thebeginning, it's going to draw
liquid out more so than it wouldat the end.
(20:49):
There's a hundred differentmethods to be able to do one
ingredient and that's the bestmade.
Who made it?
Where was the milk from?
That's going to change thewhole layer of everything you're
eating.
Sure it does.
Is it a Belgioso thing?
You got it thin sliced overthere at the market, or is it
something that we made here inthe kitchen this morning?
(21:11):
Exactly, there's a hugedifference in that crema and all
that.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
So whoever?
Speaker 1 (21:17):
thinks Italian food is easy.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
they don't understand that theory Because part of the
way in which it's constructedis to pick the ingredients and
to understand what a freshingredient is and how to put it
together and how to harmonizethe flavors.
And there's not many flavors,Listen.
A simple tomato sauce, you know, a little bit of butter, olive
(21:44):
oil, maybe some garlic SometimesI would.
If I'm in a hurry, I'll useMarcel Hazan's.
I'll take 28-ounce cans of thegood stuff.
I'll slice an onion in half,I'll put in some you know, five
tablespoons of butter, some seasalt and after 45 minutes I got
something serviceable.
That's simple, and a couple ofbay leaves and maybe a little
(22:07):
drop of wine.
But I, I don't do this is thesiciliano sugar.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
I don't use sugar.
It's it's, it's a pick hot,though if you're putting so uh
yeah, no, no, it's not happening.
Pay more attention to thispodcast that's for godfather.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
that's for the Godfather when Clemenza makes
the sauce Clemenza also, youknow?
No, I value it, I treasure it.
I treasure the simplicity ofthe ingredients.
Last time I went there, I satunder some olive trees that were
ancient.
Yeah, a lot of Calabria isGreek.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
So I was in Greece.
I was in Crete.
Yeah, a lot of Calabria isGreek, so I was in Greece.
I was in Crete.
Yeah, and in Herculion, greece,where Hercules was from.
There's an olive tree there andit's 3,000 fucking years old
and it's got a little bullshitfence around it and nobody jumps
over that fence.
It's not even a fence, it'slike a metal fucking thing.
And this tree is 3,000 yearsold, still producing olives, and
they take the olives off ofthat tree for one specific thing
(23:02):
.
I'm not sure exactly what itwas, because I speak Greek and I
don't, but I was trying tofollow along.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
Anyhow, whatever was in English is what I captured
there.
But this tree was 3,000 yearsold, still making freaking fruit
.
You know how in the fuck wecan't even have it.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Look, we can't even have a revere them, see.
So they respect them, andGreece has been conquered
several times over the years.
That tree survived World War II.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
Everything An occupation by the.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
Germans, a liberation by the British civil wars.
There's something.
It's revered and, yeah, westayed at this Airbnb.
The place that I bought hassome olive trees I don't know
how to harvest them yet, oranything like that but they,
they told me that the trees thatI was sitting under were from
(23:50):
the mid 1800s.
No doubt, I believe it.
And they bring a guy in Crazy.
Yeah, they bring a, they bringa crew in every November and
they harvest them and they pressthem.
It's like the old villageswhere you would bring the dough
and they would bake it in thecentral oven.
Well, if you bring your olives,they'll do that first press for
you, and I think they keep thepommes, so they keep the.
(24:14):
So it's just, I love thesimplicity of it, I love the
fact that for them I mean hetold me he could tell.
When I got there he saidMichele piano, softly, he said
you're so stressed, relax when Iget off the plane.
He says you have to learn.
And he said it in Italian butloosely translated.
(24:36):
I mean you have to learn how tolive here.
Yep, piano, like my daughterand I were looking around from
noon to two.
We couldn't buy anything.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
You better be not hungry or have food in your hand
.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
They're home eating a fresh cooked meal.
They're not rolling through aBurger King, that's right.
They're home making a littlepasta and listen, they eat pasta
because they walk everywhereand, to it's moderation, they'll
eat a little bit of pasta,aioli or whatever.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Mike, I got to be honest I eat pasta every day.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
They're not huge.
I eat pasta every day.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
No, you're in great shape.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
I can't help it, no, but well, of course, because in
moderation it's fine and that'swhat they do.
They eat fresh.
They look at our ingredientsand ultra processed foods, like
in our country right now.
You know rfk jr says we'regoing to wean everybody off of
ultra processed, processed foods.
You know the hot pocket.
You know all that that's.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
That's a great conversation and we can go all
day on that.
But one thing I'm going to sayis I think about that all the
time and how nice that would be,but is it even fucking feasible
with the way people eat now anddon't have any expectations for
what good food is?
American culture has lost anytype of touch with real roots of
food.
Italy has roots of food flavors.
Like I said, it's in our blood.
We know what we like.
(25:52):
We like what we taste, but whenyou grow up in an American
household, you're from MidwestKristen right.
So when you grew up, whatreally is there to look forward
to?
That?
Speaker 3 (26:02):
the that americans have, yeah you're used to it and
we've had this conversationbefore, so I'm the only person
on the planet who had an italiangrandmother who couldn't cook
so I did not get the luxury ofgrowing up with good food.
Unfortunately, we had verybasic food.
We ran a farm, so it was eatwhen you could.
It was just basically grab shitout of the yeah, grab shit out
of the fridge, whether it's ayou's a peanut butter and jelly
(26:24):
sandwich or some cereal or, inmy case, like a whole bag of
Snickers, like they didn'tregulate what I ate because we
were burning it off outside.
So it was just my mom wouldmake one meal a week and that
you ate that all week, so it waslike a pot of spaghetti, or a
pot of beef and rice.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
I mean, that was it, and you ate that for five days,
but it was fresh made, so atleast some of it was fresh.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
But we were used to, like you know, like you said,
the palette of it was, I didn'tknow good food until I moved to
virginia because I had nevereven really eaten in a
restaurant like it.
You know, growing up we hadjust probably we had a big boy,
a mcdonald's, and that was itwhere we lived, because it just
wasn't a culinary area and wedidn't have the heritage or the
family to introduce flavors tous.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
And that's exactly what I'm saying so right on the
head there.
So a Hot Pocket to me isgarbage in all kinds of ways.
I don't like it.
But however it is designed andfabricated and scientifically
put together to enhance everytaste bud in the normal person's
mouth, who doesn't usually gettaste.
Salt crunch, spice, tang,everything that's supposed to be
(27:25):
in a fucking mouthfeel thatthey've never had to them.
It's good because it's wakingthem up.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
Since when was pepperoni red?
Since when was pepperoni a meat?
I'm just saying I mean Americansare eating a pepperoni pizza.
They're eating God knows whatred dye in a pepperoni yeah,
they're eating God knows whatred dye in a pepperoni.
Yeah, I think it's generational.
But my hope is that the beautyof making a meal, I find it's
(27:53):
communication.
I'm not the best communicator,I'm not warm and fuzzy, but when
I make a meal for somebody andI hand it to them, it's my way
of communicating.
It speaks and it speaks good.
But when I make a meal forsomebody and I hand it to them,
it's my way of communicating andit speaks good.
You know my daughter and I.
Sometimes, you know, I'm not aswarm and fuzzy as I should be
with my own, the feel you havein my own daughter.
But when we cook in the kitchentogether and I make something
(28:17):
for her and I give it to her,she knows it's with love.
I want people to cook more.
I really do.
There's an anti.
We're on the move, we've got torun, we've got to this and I've
got to plan.
I want people to cook more,whatever it is.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
I want them to take the time.
It would calm the fuck out downa lot of people yes, if you get
back to the Sunday meals withyour family, whether you're
Italian or not.
We're going to talk Italian allthe time, but everyone
listening to Italian.
So a Sunday meal is a Sundaymeal is a Sunday meal, okay,
whether whatever is on yourtable.
If people would get back tothat.
I've had a lot of Americanfriends and I've also had some
(28:50):
American Sunday meals too, butthere's nothing better, even on
that.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
No, a fucking pot roast, you know, a boiled, a
boiled dinner, cabbage, whatever, yeah, yeah, a whole chicken
roasted French style on some cutvegetables and and a salad,
just to sit around the table,and the fact that you fabricated
it yourself.
There's no restaurant that canmatch that.
No, you bought a freshingredient.
I love the European, and thisis all across Europe.
(29:16):
I've seen it in every, andyou've traveled the world too.
You get a bag, yeah, and youbuy the ingredients for a day or
two and that's it, yeah, andyou cook those fresh.
Right, that's the way they doit.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
Then you go back to the market, get your next couple
meals.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
It's a.
Thing.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
There's not big refrigerators and ice boxes.
Speaker 2 (29:35):
No.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
All this over-dramatized stuff that we
have here in America, theluxuries that we have, all the
frozen food, double French doorrefrigerators with the drawers,
freezers and stuff.
I promise you that does nothappen there on the normal.
It does happen there.
Now don't get me wrong.
In Europe and Italy and stufflike that and other countries,
there are people who have thatstuff, but it's not on the
typical.
No, no, it's a small one-timehit and that's a wrap.
(29:59):
You know what I'm saying?
And they walk.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
It also gives them the exercise.
You know they're walkingthrough the market and there's
nothing like walking through amarket that has the vegetables
and the fruits and AnthonyBourdain used to kid around that
the vegetables, the produce inEurope, particularly Italy, was
so good because of all the deadRomans in the soil, but plenty
(30:23):
of dead Romans.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
That's the blood right there.
That's the blood.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
It's the, you know whatever it is, but it's true,
and I remember the tomatoes.
My wife goes why are yougetting so excited about
tomatoes, for God's sake?
She said.
I'll bring a couple into thebedroom, for Christ's sake, if
you're going to get that excitedover a goddamn tomato.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Slice them up, put them on the headboard.
Don't think about baseball.
Just look at the fuckingtomatoes.
I can last another four secondsMaybe, so maybe, maybe two,
because you want to get thetomatoes.
You'll fake it, just so you caneat.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
No, it's true, but the tomatoes and you know, like
in France and places like that,they value these things.
And what bothers me is a lot ofAmericans are very dismissive
of Europeans.
They're very dismissive oftheir food and their culture,
and I think that's a mistake,because I know that we have
differences about things, butthey value their culture and
(31:20):
they value it and that's soimportant to them.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
It's something we definitely lose here in America?
I think so so important to them.
It's something we definitelylose here in America.
I think so, being from a familyfrom overseas and also
traveling all the time andalways involving myself with the
world happenings, I do.
Honestly, one thing I can sayis I do love America.
I love being American.
I love coming home every fuckingtime I leave because I have the
(31:44):
ability to experience, so Ilove being this as my choice,
but I couldn't imagine notleaving this country or ever
experiencing what goes on inanother country, even if you're
going to fucking Asia orsomewhere like that, anywhere,
everywhere besides America.
America, out of all the placesI travel, is the least when it
comes to a culinary background.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Yeah, it's just basic it's younger, it's younger and
we are a melting pot, so we haveall kind of different
influences, which is fantastic.
But no, there is a tremendousmaturity in Europe and other
countries and pride in theirculture, and I always said, like
, like you or bourdain, you know, people that travel the world
(32:32):
would make outstandingsecretaries of state, because
the the expression of people'sculture is generally through
their food and they're veryproud of it and they're they
walk, they walk it out front,you know, and that's a very
important thing and I think it'ssomething that we should
respect as Americans and notderide Sure which I think
(32:54):
unfortunately very many peopledo.
And listen, we have to face thereality and maybe it's a good
thing.
There's a lot of people thatsimply hate food.
I've had people tell me Listen,I had a good friend tell me If
I could take a pill just tosurvive, I would.
I don't like to eat, I don'tunderstand that I don't like
food.
I think he's dead.
(33:14):
I think his soul is dead, hissoul died a long time ago.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
You're soulless if you don't love food.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
So the way I look at it like this I have guys that I
ride with and we'll ride acrossthe country and we'll stop for
lunch.
Me stopping for lunch meanssince breakfast I've been
thinking about it.
So I'm on the bike, gas, mileafter gas, mile after gas, stop
after gas, stop, I'm like,alright, lunch is coming up next
?
Where are we going to go?
Next thing, I know we'repulling to the next gas stop and
guys are coming out with bagsof potato chips and Slim Jims
(33:41):
and I go.
I thought we were eating lunch.
Oh yeah, we are.
This is your fucking lunch.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
Get that.
I'd throw him out of the clubWould you get busted For a Slim
Jim.
Speaker 1 (33:49):
This looks like prison food.
Why?
Speaker 3 (33:51):
are you?
Speaker 1 (33:51):
eating this.
Let's go.
Look, there's a restaurantright there.
I don't even care what's in it,it's better than that.
You know what I mean.
But some people just don't havethe uh connection to food as no
and and I think that's veryimportant now on your radio show
I'm sure you talk about allkinds of stuff, man, and every
(34:12):
once in a while I hear youtalking about food and the
connection with food to stuffand my co-host hates it and I
got a fighter.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
She doesn't like food , she makes fun.
I don't want to see a pictureof what you ate for supper.
I'm like what do?
What do you mean?
I mean people exchange.
She hates it.
I used to have something calledLawfare Kitchen and I would
talk about pasta.
I hate bread and I don't eatpasta.
She's a perfect example and Irespect her because she's a good
columnist, but she hates foodand she hates talking about food
(34:43):
.
So every time I do it I get thestink eye.
So don't call her for the foodwrite-up.
Don't call her for the foodwrite-up.
It's like tomorrow she's out,so I'm going to talk about Olio
di.
Olivo.
I got somebody sent.
A local company is importingSicilian olive oil.
Maybe you could taste a littleof it, but I want to talk about
(35:03):
olive oil.
I have people begging me totalk about food.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
Yes, that's what I was going to say, so that's why
I led into this.
So on your radio show, howoften do you get people talking
about food, or what's thereaction?
When you do bring it up on theradio, do you notice a lot of
interaction?
Speaker 2 (35:16):
The listeners love it .
As a matter of fact, I'msitting there watching Stanley
Tucci's show on NationalGeographic.
He was in I think he was inTuscany, and I got an email from
a listener.
Hey, listen, you know Tucci'son now.
It's really good, you shouldcheck it out.
I have some people call up andsay hey, can you talk about
(35:37):
olive oil some more so I canlearn about it?
Hey, I really like that feature.
I think the vast majority ofpeople do enjoy it.
I think that they love cookingfor their families, that a lot
of people cook in differentgenres.
We're in the South.
Barbecue's a big deal.
One day I started talking aboutit.
It's a bucket list for me to goto Franklin Barbecue in Texas,
which is famous right.
Phone rings off the hook,everybody wants to talk about
(35:59):
barbecue.
I've talked about pasta andsimple tomato sauce, and when
you were on that day it was abig deal.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
People loved it.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
People love food.
I'd like to get back on there.
We should do something tomorrowwe should do an Italian 101.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
Italian product 101.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
Just talking about teaching about the education
that I have and the breakdownand stuff.
Of course, what you havecombined would be crazy.
I mean we can go into all kindsof ingredients, the history of
them, where they come from.
It's what I do.
Everything I base my food on isbased off that history.
Speaker 2 (36:38):
I remember when you created the menu in the original
Luce in Norfolk and you wentvery methodically.
It was a representation of thevarious regions, it was
realistically crafted, knowingwhat we could import.
Sure, although we're prettyfortunate, here.
Speaker 1 (36:52):
If I couldn't make it , I had to import it.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
Yeah, but pretty much you could get, I think the
chingale, the boar you had toimport.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
Yeah, and now.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
I'm making that shit my own.
Yeah, so you know we're goingto shoot a fucking pig two miles
from here.
Speaker 1 (37:04):
No, we'll shoot a fucking pig two miles from here.
Speaker 2 (37:06):
No, not that, but I'm saying I'd do the guanciale now
.
Oh yeah, the guanciale, yeah,which you could make.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
Yeah, because there's so many pig farms around here.
It's for lardo same thing.
Speaker 2 (37:12):
You know I was watching Actually it was during
the Tucci show but up in aparticular town where they mine
marble.
There's one type of marble thatthey can use to make the lardo
because it's not porous.
So they take it the cut andthey layer it with this marble
(37:37):
and put a top on it like a tombfor six months and what comes
out is just amazing.
They use it like butter.
They'll have it on a crostini.
It's absolutely delicious.
You can infuse it flavor it.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
They use it like butter.
They'll have it on a crostini.
It's absolutely delicious.
You can infuse it, flavor it,it's beautiful.
Mix it with tallow, it'sdelicious.
Speaker 2 (37:54):
But I remember when you did that and it was
representative, and this Secondomenu is fantastic too.
So I don't know, it's hard tocommunicate with someone who
doesn't get it, but I think somany people get it.
Just look at the success of thefood industry.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
It won't stop.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
It just keeps growing In media, every show, every
station, now even stationsoutside of the Food Network,
stations that you would nottraditionally associate with
food media coverage NationalGeographic, for God's sakes.
The History Channel, Sure,Because it is important with
people.
There's a resurgence of aninterest in cooking and
(38:33):
ingredients.
Speaker 1 (38:34):
And that's a good thing, like going back to what
you were saying where you wishmore people would cook.
I think that is the case.
Yes, it's making it easier withsocial media and Instagram and
all these Instagram chefs whoare putting out their.
You know, our friend Matt Priceis really good at this.
Speaker 3 (38:49):
He'll put out some phenomenal recipes that you
could just watch him make.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
You can do at home and get at home.
Then he can get on his YouTubeor he can get on his Instagram.
Wonderful Email him and he'llhelp you yeah wonderful, but
people can make these things nowmuch faster, and the
restaurants that are out therenow, unlike myself, are going
the quick route to try and makemoney to pay their bills.
Me, I'm not going to ever dothat.
I'll shut the place down beforeI have to sacrifice quality for
(39:13):
quantity.
Speaker 2 (39:13):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (39:14):
And if there's more quantity needed to pay the bills
, then I guess I'm not going tobe able to make it.
Speaker 2 (39:20):
We're going to have to slow down and figure
something out, but I'm not goingto destroy my food, my recipe,
my beliefs, no, my beliefs, no,in putting out a shitty product.
You know the, the sous vide,which is the slow cooking under
time, under time, and I rememberthe uh, the pulpo, the octopus
served here in that way it'swonderful and the, the love that
goes into it.
It's important to me, it'simportant and my wife who,
(39:45):
unless she was a single mom,raised a couple of kids, husband
left and she cooks.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
Yeah, she's vegetarian now, no, yeah, so
that's even a more challengingthing for you not being one.
So in order to make that foodgood, you have to have an
understanding and respect forthat.
It gives me an excuse to maketwo dishes Exactly.
Plus, it gives you an excuse tolearn how to cook something new
.
Speaker 2 (40:08):
Yeah, so I'll make a linguine alla vongole for me
occasionally I'm not all thetime and then I'll make it for
her with a little bit of oil,some garlic, or maybe I'll take
eggplant and I'll roast it and.
I'll make that pasta witheggplant and once in a while,
maybe she'll have a little bitof cheese, because, listen, it's
(40:29):
, it's from the heart and andthat's what we do.
And she's now, she's into it.
Where, when we go overseas, uh,she knows what good food is.
Sure, and she, she won't eatanything that she'll take a
forkful If she doesn't like it.
Boom, that's it.
She's not going to eat itbecause it was put in front of
her Right right and I respectthat.
Sure and she loves this placeAbsolutely.
Speaker 1 (40:50):
Yeah, she does, she's great.
Yeah, Well listen, how can we?
We can talk about this shit allday long.
Speaker 2 (41:03):
Is there anything else that you want to ask?
No, I just this is great, sothat's where the ratings come
from.
Speaker 1 (41:06):
Yeah, and the dimples no matter what I say, she makes
it look good.
So I can just say the worstshit in the world and just put
the camera on her and forgetwhat I'm talking about.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
What was it, robert Plant?
Speaker 3 (41:17):
said it.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
I think it was Robert Plant said it when they were
filming a concert.
He said keep the camera on themoney.
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (41:26):
I Keep the camera on the money.
Speaker 3 (41:27):
Yeah, exactly, I think it was Robert Plant Keep
the camera on the money.
Speaker 2 (41:29):
Depends where you're looking Because they were
starting to highlight the dramaor something.
Keep it on the money.
Speaker 3 (41:35):
There you go and Beth , but yeah, I mean locally, I
mean I think a lot of people, Imean most people do, but where
can they find everything to findand listen and support you back
to?
Speaker 2 (41:44):
find and listen and support you back.
I'm on from 6 to 9 every day onAM 850, wtar 96.5, the Sunday
Gravy podcast that I do withLucky Luciano.
We're trying to get it to takeoff but it's so saturated it is
saturated, we're not set up.
Tony will be our first guest.
(42:06):
We're trying to set up a remotesituation where if he doesn't
if he's not able to come in livewe can do it to get Tony, and
because we do, he he wasemployed before he went to the
police department.
He was employed as an executivechef up in the at the Picatinny
arsenal.
He's trained and so he loves tocook and he's really a fan of
(42:27):
yours.
He comes in here with his ladyall the time and raves about the
place.
So Sunday Gravy podcast and I'ma lawyer but you're not
interested in that.
I practice with the firm ofBright Benyazin.
I'm a retired.
I spent five years with theNorfolk Sheriff's Office as
their staff attorney.
I was a sworn captain, so Ilike to.
(42:49):
I'm sort of a Walter Mitty.
I love it, you know.
Speaker 3 (42:52):
Well, I appreciate you supporting him because we
knew he could cook way backbefore that.
But when he decided to finallygo through with it, I mean we
all felt the same.
I knew, we knew it was going towork.
I knew.
Speaker 2 (43:03):
I'll never forget the words in the conference room.
He was auditioning, which hedidn't have to do because I
already knew him, but my wifeand she said the words failure
is not an option.
And the way he communicatedthat she said there's no risk in
this, that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (43:23):
Yeah, there's no risk .
Failure wasn't an option Stillisn't.
Speaker 2 (43:26):
Still not, and we saved the local 7-Elevens from
the mask and the briefcase Yep,yep, thanks for that.
Speaker 1 (43:38):
Anyway, with that being said, you've been a great
friend, you've been a great help, you've been a great assistant
and partner and just astraight-up inspiration.
Thank you, I appreciateeverything you've done.
You've helped me in thecourtroom quite often as well.
He is a lawyer.
As far as all your copendeavors, that's all on you.
Yeah, I thought it was going torun.
(43:58):
I called him up.
Speaker 2 (44:00):
It's a calling.
I hope the fact that I'mwearing a badge that we can
still come on.
Of course we can fact that I'mwearing a badge that we can
still come on, Of course we can.
Speaker 3 (44:05):
Well, that happened after though.
Speaker 1 (44:08):
I didn't ask his permission, but afterwards I
said listen, I got sworn.
Speaker 2 (44:12):
It's always been a thing I wanted to do public
service, can I?
Still consider you a friend,but he was hesitant, but I'm
very happy that he did not.
No, it's great, man you do whatyou got to do man At the that
he did not.
Speaker 1 (44:25):
No, it's great man, you do what you got to do.
Man, yeah, Listen, at the endof the day we go home and go to
sleep, yeah, and that's the endof it.
So, and then we eat great food.
Speaker 2 (44:31):
We eat great food and we cook great food and we love
great food and we love who weare.
Speaker 1 (44:34):
Sure, absolutely All right.
Well, listen, mike.
All right, here we are.
We have a legend, we have alocal legend in the house today.
Legend to me.
Legend to me, his name the man,the myth.
Not a legend yet, is he?
Speaker 2 (00:09):
No, there's no legend .
Yeah, you are.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Mike Improvento right here.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Hey, Mike.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Gay, mike Gay.
Hey, if Tony says so I'm allabout it.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Let me tell everybody something.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
My hero over here.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
so I'm all about it.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Let me tell everybody something, my hero over here, a
couple of things I'm doing.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
One thing is I'm introducing a really good friend
of mine, hard locking this dudedown.
Man.
This is like the third time.
Very busy, very active.
He has a phenomenal radio show,really well respected in the
community.
Has been serving the communityin one way or another for
decades, going all the way backto veteran.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
He's a veteran, so he's in the military here.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
I am speaking for him like I'm your narrator.
No, he does a better job than Iwould.
I'm like Morgan Freeman, overhere narrating your life.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
It's okay.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
So the reason why I'm wearing my Hells Angel shirt
today and the reason why I'mvery proud of being in my club
and being with this man righthere is because, kristen you
know I've told you, but I'lltell you again this is the first
guy who believed in me enoughto as a Hells Angel back then,
where I really wasn't doinganything more than just trying
to get by in life.
He's the first guy.
(01:13):
You and your wife Yolanda werethe first people to actually put
their faith in me and believein me enough to make me or
become a partner with me to beable to make all this happen In
the restaurant.
So the original OG of LuceNorfolk and I he's the original
guy that started it, me being aHells Angels all the time, a
little down on my luck, justworking, trying to get through,
(01:34):
trying to be doing the rightthing.
Like I said, this man, thankyou again put his faith in it
and he didn't have much of achance after we started because
it was just fucking snowballingand everything went to hell
there.
But thank you very much sir.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
That's why you're here.
That's why I'm wearing my shirt.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
It's a.
It's a tribute.
And I love and I love it allman.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
You know I've been in the two wheel community for a
long time and I have atremendous amount of respect for
your club, going back from whenI was in New York and the
legendary New York Hells AngelsClubhouse and Chuck Zito and the
whole group.
I grew up with that stuff and Itotally you people mean a lot
to me because I know the actualtruth about you all and you're
(02:14):
just really good people who, inlarge part, I find incredibly
intelligent.
I'm a lawyer and some of thesmartest people I ever met are
in your club and you're includedHere'm a lawyer, some of the
smartest people I ever met arein your club and you're included
.
Here's the deal.
I knew a little bit about whoyou were and word of mouth was
he's really good, he's a chef,but he can't find.
(02:38):
People are scared, you know.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
They don't want.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Hell's angel, I'm not going to get in business, not
gonna get business, but I knew.
Plus, I was doing a service tothe community because you were
trying to make ends meet and Ididn't want you to go into a
7-eleven with a mask on yeah,right, save the briefcase.
Yeah, I got a briefcase and amask and I don't want to be, I
don't want to have to use it.
I said you won't have to use it.
So my wife and I wanted to getinto the restaurant business.
(03:03):
I've always loved food, I'vealways loved cooking.
I'm an Italian from you know myfamily's, from Calabria, in
which we will talk about, yes,and I was always about it.
I love to cook.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
And I'm like this guy this guy.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
This guy, he's got something.
And the thing that I noticed atthe time and not you know,
having somewhat of a notion ofstreet smarts he's got drive.
And when you met with Yolandaand I, it was at the law firm
and you came up there and youhad your colors on and
everything didn't bother us atall.
(03:35):
Sat down, you told us what yourpassion was and you said
failure is not an option.
Now, when you say failure isnot an option, I took it to
heart.
Restaurants, what one?
Two out of ten?
Yeah, especially with thegedrules that open them.
Yeah, a lot of them.
There's a lot of them thatreally are way above their skis.
They're way in front of theirskis.
They just can't do it.
(03:56):
They can't.
But I knew you could,especially because of Fat Fuck
Sundays at the clubhouse, I gota lot of great input.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
I got a lot of great input from Big and Little Tony.
So we had Fat Fuck Sundays.
So what happened is everySunday at the clubhouse back
then, we'd all get together andI'd cook the pasta, we'd sit
around and we'd eat pasta and dothe whole thing, we'd break the
bread and drink wine and justbe together as a family.
We still do that, but not asoften as a Fat Fuck Sunday.
So we called it Fact FuckSunday because you weren't
walking out of there skimming no, if you did?
(04:25):
You weren't invited back.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
No, and it was.
Let me tell you, the reviews Igot were jeez.
I mean, everything he makes isamazing.
So we decided you know whatlet's do this.
And what was good about Tony isthe resourcefulness we opened
up Luce in Norfolk with very.
I mean, it was decent money,but it wasn't that much.
(04:47):
Compared to what it takes isminimal.
Yeah exactly Below minimal andyou had some people that were
friends of the club, that weregood with a hammer, and we put
it together and I was never.
I just want to say I have totalrespect for what you do, but I
don't have the personality.
The restaurant business what?
Speaker 1 (05:07):
do you mean the first night we were there?
You want to kill three people.
I want to kill.
I'm like I thought I was a badguy.
What happened, I don't know,Because there were people that
walked in there.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
There were people that walked in there and I'm a
lawyer who hates lawyers, okay,okay, I don't like lawyers, but
I am one because it's all I knewhow to do and I wanted to make
my grandfather proud.
So the lawyers come in therethe ones that I was just in
court fighting with and theybring their fucking wives in
there and they start complainingabout this drink is not strong
(05:39):
enough.
Yeah, well, because you're afucking alcoholic.
That's why it's not strongenough.
If I gave you the bottle, youwouldn't like it.
And then you know they wouldleave a couple of bielas of
pasta in there and I'd say what?
You don't like it.
And they did like it, but theydidn't want to eat it all.
But I would send Tony, I wouldsend the Hells Angels chapter
(05:59):
president to be nice to thepeople.
And here I am.
I don't want to be nice to them, I don't like it.
And it was a difficult.
It's such a grind.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
A hospitality business is very hard to like.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Very hard.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
You have to have a passion for it, and I didn't
Except for the food and Tony andhis crew and outside the food.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
I just I'm not a people person, I'm a miserable
prick.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
And you're not the only one who will say that.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
It's on his website.
It's a tagline on the website,is it?
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Yeah, I can't help it .
So I'm like this guy is amazing.
We did it, you did it and Istayed out of your way.
That was the key was to stayout of his way.
Let him do it, let him, andbefore you know it we got a menu
(06:53):
with the real deal.
You know, your rigging goose isstill a thing and the whole
idea was to just cut you loose.
And the people that you had runwith knew that you were on the
move.
They knew that you were openingup a place.
It kind of rattled them alittle bit because they knew
failure wasn't an option whenyou're involved and it wasn't.
(07:13):
My wife and I were gladly.
For three years we managed themain part of the bank, but you
did everything else and after awhile, like I told you, it was
going to be yours.
It's not for me.
If it was for me, the placewould have been out of business
because I'd have had peoplethrowing through the door.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Yeah, and let me tell you, without all that starting,
we would not be sitting in here, so you had a huge influx in
all this.
This is yes, of course.
I opened up this one.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
I moved on, but it wouldn't have started without
that, no Think about this.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Think about all the times.
You know the shit we had to gothrough because I was a hell's
angel.
The city, the fucking law, theABC commission, the lawyer of
the city, Everybody, justbecause I was who I was that's
where I helped Didn't want tohelp.
That's where he helped as alawyer there.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
That's where he helped as a lawyer, there would
have been no fucking way theywould have given me anything.
It was such a bias.
It was such a bias situation,that little dust up over the
clubhouse in Norfolk or whatever.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Let's not cry over spilled milk, but it was no, I
directly.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
I had litigated with the city attorney's office for a
long time.
I knew the city attorney andthe mayor and I basically told
them this is a good guy who'stalented.
Granby Street needs this now.
It was a good time to be onGranby Street because everything
was starting to build up.
They were putting apartmentsaround.
(08:42):
I said he's going to bringpeople and I got this.
I'm going to answer for whathappens in the beginning.
Chief of police comes up to meand goes.
We're going to keep an eye onit.
I said what the fuck you thinkit's going to be?
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Yeah, well, you come in, and eat some food.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Now he knows.
And I said you do what you gotto do.
He said no, no, it's, I don'tmean it that way.
I said this is going to work,it's going to be good for the
city.
And they didn't get in the way.
That's one thing.
Yeah, we helped with thestartup money.
We also helped with interfacewith the city, but then you took
it from there, you fit right in.
(09:19):
They knew, hey, this guy is nota risk.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Not at all.
So right now it would be a riskif I were to leave the city.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Yeah, exactly, I love this.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Now the city of Norfolk ended up in the end,
where we are now is a very goodrelationship, so I'm really well
into it the.
Civic League, all them peopledowntown who help me out and
stand behind me.
Now I stand behind them andit's a really, really good
relationship as far as me as abusiness owner and a business
personality with the downtowncommunity.
So the differences between who Iam as a person and who I am as
(09:48):
a Hells Angels are two totallydifferent things, but not really
.
I'm still a good person in bothworlds.
It's just a matter of um.
I'm a professional period and Idon't have time to fuck around
and I don't have time forpeople's daydreams and I don't
have time for people's fantasiesand their bullshit stories.
You're either going to produceor you're going to be on board
or I'm going to move on, andthat's the way it is, man, and
it has nothing to do with beingin a club or anything like that.
(10:11):
This just has to do with beinga man who's going to not take
shit, you know.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Right, exactly.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Now I get on my motorcycle.
I ride the damn thing.
I've been riding, the damnthing.
I've been riding.
She'd been riding well before Iwas in the club.
I was riding with her.
She has her own bike and herlicense.
We were friends back then.
She was riding.
So this goes all the way backand you ride.
When you say you ride in thetwo-wheel world, you ride hard.
You had one of the fastestbikes around for a while, that
dresser you had.
Yeah, I was, I raced, nottalking about a guy who just
(10:42):
rides around.
You hold records for speed on aHarley Davidson V-twin.
I did, yeah, you did.
And now that time has changedbecause technology has changed.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
It's the only reason that record was broken, I feel,
because at that time that wasraw motor, it was all motor and
a lot of money went into it anda lot of technology and your guy
, your crew, knows what it takesto get horsepower out of a
V-twin.
This was the twin cam.
It was one of the first 120motors and I really enjoyed
(11:12):
doing that.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
And it was on a street glide.
That's how I met.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
It was actually one of the Bayside Harley mechanics
and I sort of invented thestreet glide and I'll just say
that it's not like Al Goreinventing the glide and I'll
just say that it's not like AlGore inventing the internet, and
I'm not going that far.
But we took a, an electricglide, and we slammed it and we
blacked it out and we put a lotof horsepower on it so it looked
like a street glide, sure, andI took that to Maxton and, um,
(11:39):
I'm sure that they've, they've,they beat that, they moved, they
moved to Ohio, but at the itwas a big deal for me, yeah yeah
.
Because I wasn't your averagelawyer.
I really loved it and that'show I met some of you folks
because, the Hells Angels.
Drag racing is legendary, yep,and that's just something that
we clicked with and I know yourworld and I respect it and this
(12:08):
was all.
It was just great.
I mean Yolanda and I look ateach other and go two things.
We unleashed somebody veryimportant in the community who
understands Italian food and thereal Italian food, and we did a
good thing.
I mean that's what Yolanda andI do.
I mean we really we help peopleand we do it because we believe
in them and I think it workedout great here.
I mean we love this.
Yeah, I love it too.
We love that you did this.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Forever grateful on that.
So let's talk about the foodnow.
Let's get into the food becausewe can talk.
We both have a big conversationwe can talk all day long about
food oh, I love it.
So let's talk about it.
Let's get into the food,kristen, because that's really
what we need to talk about.
This guy here can cook, heunderstands food.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
We listen to your show.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Your show Yep, and you have a podcast as well.
You just kind of started up.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
We do.
My friend and I, brian LuckyLuciano, is a 26-year retired
Virginia Beach cop and we'vebeen friends for years and we
have a Sunday Gravy podcast andit's got a little bit of
traction.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
I love the name too.
We just have fun doing it.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Sunday.
Gravy, we did actually talkabout Sunday Gravy two weeks ago
for the first time because Imade some so the question is
this Gravy or sauce is the bigdebate now?
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Yeah, and I'm starting to see it on the
internet now online, so it seemslike sauce is starting to take
back over and people arestarting to shy away from this
word.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
What do you think?
I think that I use either sauceor sugo.
I think the gravy is anAmericanization.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Without a doubt.
Actually, I did some researchon that because that's just the
way I am.
You know where that reallystarted is in Rhode Island.
So that comes from Providence,rhode Island Federal Hill.
Oh, I didn't know that Gravystarted there and then moved its
way around People in New Jerseyuse it a lot too.
But and then moved its wayaround People in New Jersey use
it a lot too.
Okay, but it really started inProvidence, made its way down.
You had some guys that were,you know, a little on the other
(13:50):
side of the law back in the day,oh Providence.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Hey, may I see.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
What are you kidding?
So they would-.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
You got indicted and got reelected.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
So they would bring it down to New Jersey.
That's where it kind of tookoff.
But anyway, the gravy to me.
I'm not down with it.
I don't like the word.
It's not gravy.
Gravy goes on steak or meat orfucking chicken or turkey right.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
It's mashed potatoes, don't get me wrong, I love a
good brown gravy.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
But when it comes to sauce, a sugo, right Yo, let me
tell you something Everydifferent region.
You're a Cal Calabrian.
You're Calabrian by descent.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Yes, and Mezzo Siciliano, but I never knew that
side.
Really, it's mostly ReggioCalabria, yeah and that's a
great spot.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
And you're not far enough.
You're close enough to Sicily,there, to claim it anyhow.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
And the food and everything besides the peppers,
and the introduction of thatcapsicum which is really popular
in Calabria.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
I think they bleed it and breathe it.
You know what I mean.
My family's from Rome area.
Father was born in Sicily butgrew up in Civitavecchia area,
rome.
So I have the best of bothworlds is what I call it.
And then you get way up tonorthern Italy, which is the
food kind of changes prettydrastically up there.
Milan and Parma and all that.
The food gets really heavy,really dense, less tomato-based,
a lot more.
I guess the word gravy wouldfit better there.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Risotto Because of the osso bucco and the risotto.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
More butter than oil Right.
Well, back in the day, oliveoil wasn't introduced up there.
They didn't have olive oil upthere because it was.
This is a good little educationhere for people.
So back in the day, when Italywas kingdoms, they would stay
within their kingdom and theywould eat within their kingdoms
means right, whatever isindigenous to their land.
(15:30):
Well, south olives, olive trees, needed the heat.
They grew in the south, soolive oil was from the south.
It wasn't, didn't make its wayup.
So up north they use a lot oflardo and fat and butter and
that's how they cooked.
So that's's why the traditionsof the northern Italian food are
more along the lines of thatAustrian border and Germania and
all that stuff from back then.
Now, that is why the northernfoods in Italy are so much
(15:53):
butter-laden and cooked andstuffed pastas and rolled with
cheeses and mascarpone and allthis stuff.
That is because the olive oilwasn't even introduced to the
north on the regular back then.
Down south, olive oil was usedbecause butter was the opposite.
Right.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
That's right.
So cucina povera.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Yep, it's amazing stuff.
There's so much history comingout of Italy in Italian food
that infects the world.
Infects, really, because it'sinfectious.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
It has in many different ways.
My heart is in Sicilia, inCalabria, because of the
simplicity of the food.
But just because it's simpledoesn't mean that it's easy to
get the right balance.
It is an art form.
And I believe in the Southerncuisine a little bit more
(16:46):
because at my age I'm trying tobe a little bit more heart
healthy after a life of abuse ofpizza and destroying my
arteries.
But I do believe in the CucinoPavada of the South, the bacala
you know the people who saltedthe cod but also stockfish,
(17:06):
which is a cod prepared adifferent way, and they take
such pride.
Last time my daughter and Iwere there, we bought a house in
a very small town.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
So you're basically a resident.
Now you went and purchased ahouse in Calabria.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
And you've been going there, which I can't wait to go
out there and check out.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
No, we're going to have you there and we can't wait
actually for you to come outthere with anybody you want to
bring.
And we met a realtor who hasthe same last name as my
grandfather.
We may be related, so here'swhat the universe has conferred
on us.
Maybe because we did goodthings with you and my wife and
(17:44):
I did good things saving animalsand helping people that I walk
into a realtor in Sederno inCalabria, where my grandfather's
from.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Just on a whim, on a whim.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
We pick this one, my daughter picked it.
We walk in cold, sit down andthe senora comes out and she
doesn't speak English becauseshe's Italian, for God's sakes.
And she starts talking.
My daughter speaks a little bit, I speak a little bit and I
told her that my grandfather,girolamo Galea, came from
(18:16):
Sedarno.
Her eyes lit up.
She said mi marito Galea, soher husband's surname is galia,
as my grandfather.
And how many of those are insederno.
So he insists that we'redistant cousins or whatever.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
But that immediately started it so he took us out to
his wing discount on the house.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
No, well, a little bit they took a little bit off
and he took us around and hetook care of us and he still is,
and we have a fixer there andwhen we go he took us.
He was very proud.
They're very proud of theirfood and he took my daughter and
I to a very, very famousrestaurant there and I'm
embarrassed to say if I got thename in Mamala, which is a town
(19:01):
a little bit south of Sederno inCalabria, and stockfish.
Each course was a version ofstockfish.
There was a pasta stockfish,then there was a little bit of a
fish carpaccio, but it was allfish.
It was all incredibly healthybut delicious.
They love their oranges.
They're so proud of theirbergamot.
(19:22):
Delicious, the bergamot, theorange.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
I'm proud proud of their bergamot.
They're delicious, the bergamot, the orange.
I'm proud of it for them.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
Yeah, it is delicious .
They make their own liqueurs,so you might want a little
limoncello, you might want abergamot, and of course, they
bring out the espresso.
I don't know, there's somethingabout it that clicks, and I've
traveled the world with my and Idon't.
I'm not dismissive of anycuisine, because it's all part
(19:46):
of culture, but there'ssomething.
It's an innate bias.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
I have the same thing .
It's not even a question whatyou're saying it's blood
sanguine that's the whole thing.
It's the bloodline ofeverything, and there is nothing
better to me.
People can offer me to goanywhere in the world, and I'll
probably always go to Italy.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
And even though you could make it as good, you still
want to go and have it.
But it's everything, thoughit's the smell, it's the aroma,
it's everything about it,everything about it.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
It encapsulates everything that we are.
That's right so what you weretalking about before is how
people think that Italian foodis easy.
Good, Italian food is easy.
It's only easy when youunderstand it.
But you have to get tounderstand it, and that's not
easy, right.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Right the layering.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
There's a million ways you can make a tomato good.
There's a million ways you cantake an Italian plum tomato that
has really grown ripe with thesun.
Okay, if you cook it at thebeginning of the month, it's
going to be different than theend of the month.
On the vine, you're going toget a different flavor.
If you cook it too long, you'regoing to get a different
sweetness.
If you cook it too short,you're going to get more acid.
If you add salt at thebeginning, it's going to draw
liquid out more so than it wouldat the end.
(20:49):
There's a hundred differentmethods to be able to do one
ingredient and that's the bestmade.
Who made it?
Where was the milk from?
That's going to change thewhole layer of everything you're
eating.
Sure it does.
Is it a Belgioso thing?
You got it thin sliced overthere at the market, or is it
something that we made here inthe kitchen this morning?
(21:11):
Exactly, there's a hugedifference in that crema and all
that.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
So whoever?
Speaker 1 (21:17):
thinks Italian food is easy.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
they don't understand that theory Because part of the
way in which it's constructedis to pick the ingredients and
to understand what a freshingredient is and how to put it
together and how to harmonizethe flavors.
And there's not many flavors,Listen.
A simple tomato sauce, you know, a little bit of butter, olive
(21:44):
oil, maybe some garlic SometimesI would.
If I'm in a hurry, I'll useMarcel Hazan's.
I'll take 28-ounce cans of thegood stuff.
I'll slice an onion in half,I'll put in some you know, five
tablespoons of butter, some seasalt and after 45 minutes I got
something serviceable.
That's simple, and a couple ofbay leaves and maybe a little
(22:07):
drop of wine.
But I, I don't do this is thesiciliano sugar.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
I don't use sugar.
It's it's, it's a pick hot,though if you're putting so uh
yeah, no, no, it's not happening.
Pay more attention to thispodcast that's for godfather.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
that's for the Godfather when Clemenza makes
the sauce Clemenza also, youknow?
No, I value it, I treasure it.
I treasure the simplicity ofthe ingredients.
Last time I went there, I satunder some olive trees that were
ancient.
Yeah, a lot of Calabria isGreek.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
So I was in Greece.
I was in Crete.
Yeah, a lot of Calabria isGreek, so I was in Greece.
I was in Crete.
Yeah, and in Herculion, greece,where Hercules was from.
There's an olive tree there andit's 3,000 fucking years old
and it's got a little bullshitfence around it and nobody jumps
over that fence.
It's not even a fence, it'slike a metal fucking thing.
And this tree is 3,000 yearsold, still producing olives, and
they take the olives off ofthat tree for one specific thing
(23:02):
.
I'm not sure exactly what itwas, because I speak Greek and I
don't, but I was trying tofollow along.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
Anyhow, whatever was in English is what I captured
there.
But this tree was 3,000 yearsold, still making freaking fruit
.
You know how in the fuck wecan't even have it.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Look, we can't even have a revere them, see.
So they respect them, andGreece has been conquered
several times over the years.
That tree survived World War II.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
Everything An occupation by the.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
Germans, a liberation by the British civil wars.
There's something.
It's revered and, yeah, westayed at this Airbnb.
The place that I bought hassome olive trees I don't know
how to harvest them yet, oranything like that but they,
they told me that the trees thatI was sitting under were from
(23:50):
the mid 1800s.
No doubt, I believe it.
And they bring a guy in Crazy.
Yeah, they bring a, they bringa crew in every November and
they harvest them and they pressthem.
It's like the old villageswhere you would bring the dough
and they would bake it in thecentral oven.
Well, if you bring your olives,they'll do that first press for
you, and I think they keep thepommes, so they keep the.
(24:14):
So it's just, I love thesimplicity of it, I love the
fact that for them I mean hetold me he could tell.
When I got there he saidMichele piano, softly, he said
you're so stressed, relax when Iget off the plane.
He says you have to learn.
And he said it in Italian butloosely translated.
(24:36):
I mean you have to learn how tolive here.
Yep, piano, like my daughterand I were looking around from
noon to two.
We couldn't buy anything.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
You better be not hungry or have food in your hand
.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
They're home eating a fresh cooked meal.
They're not rolling through aBurger King, that's right.
They're home making a littlepasta and listen, they eat pasta
because they walk everywhereand, to it's moderation, they'll
eat a little bit of pasta,aioli or whatever.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Mike, I got to be honest I eat pasta every day.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
They're not huge.
I eat pasta every day.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
No, you're in great shape.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
I can't help it, no, but well, of course, because in
moderation it's fine and that'swhat they do.
They eat fresh.
They look at our ingredientsand ultra processed foods, like
in our country right now.
You know rfk jr says we'regoing to wean everybody off of
ultra processed, processed foods.
You know the hot pocket.
You know all that that's.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
That's a great conversation and we can go all
day on that.
But one thing I'm going to sayis I think about that all the
time and how nice that would be,but is it even fucking feasible
with the way people eat now anddon't have any expectations for
what good food is?
American culture has lost anytype of touch with real roots of
food.
Italy has roots of food flavors.
Like I said, it's in our blood.
We know what we like.
(25:52):
We like what we taste, but whenyou grow up in an American
household, you're from MidwestKristen right.
So when you grew up, whatreally is there to look forward
to?
That?
Speaker 3 (26:02):
the that americans have, yeah you're used to it and
we've had this conversationbefore, so I'm the only person
on the planet who had an italiangrandmother who couldn't cook
so I did not get the luxury ofgrowing up with good food.
Unfortunately, we had verybasic food.
We ran a farm, so it was eatwhen you could.
It was just basically grab shitout of the yeah, grab shit out
of the fridge, whether it's ayou's a peanut butter and jelly
(26:24):
sandwich or some cereal or, inmy case, like a whole bag of
Snickers, like they didn'tregulate what I ate because we
were burning it off outside.
So it was just my mom wouldmake one meal a week and that
you ate that all week, so it waslike a pot of spaghetti, or a
pot of beef and rice.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
I mean, that was it, and you ate that for five days,
but it was fresh made, so atleast some of it was fresh.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
But we were used to, like you know, like you said,
the palette of it was, I didn'tknow good food until I moved to
virginia because I had nevereven really eaten in a
restaurant like it.
You know, growing up we hadjust probably we had a big boy,
a mcdonald's, and that was itwhere we lived, because it just
wasn't a culinary area and wedidn't have the heritage or the
family to introduce flavors tous.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
And that's exactly what I'm saying so right on the
head there.
So a Hot Pocket to me isgarbage in all kinds of ways.
I don't like it.
But however it is designed andfabricated and scientifically
put together to enhance everytaste bud in the normal person's
mouth, who doesn't usually gettaste.
Salt crunch, spice, tang,everything that's supposed to be
(27:25):
in a fucking mouthfeel thatthey've never had to them.
It's good because it's wakingthem up.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
Since when was pepperoni red?
Since when was pepperoni a meat?
I'm just saying I mean Americansare eating a pepperoni pizza.
They're eating God knows whatred dye in a pepperoni yeah,
they're eating God knows whatred dye in a pepperoni.
Yeah, I think it's generational.
But my hope is that the beautyof making a meal, I find it's
(27:53):
communication.
I'm not the best communicator,I'm not warm and fuzzy, but when
I make a meal for somebody andI hand it to them, it's my way
of communicating.
It speaks and it speaks good.
But when I make a meal forsomebody and I hand it to them,
it's my way of communicating andit speaks good.
You know my daughter and I.
Sometimes, you know, I'm not aswarm and fuzzy as I should be
with my own, the feel you havein my own daughter.
But when we cook in the kitchentogether and I make something
(28:17):
for her and I give it to her,she knows it's with love.
I want people to cook more.
I really do.
There's an anti.
We're on the move, we've got torun, we've got to this and I've
got to plan.
I want people to cook more,whatever it is.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
I want them to take the time.
It would calm the fuck out downa lot of people yes, if you get
back to the Sunday meals withyour family, whether you're
Italian or not.
We're going to talk Italian allthe time, but everyone
listening to Italian.
So a Sunday meal is a Sundaymeal is a Sunday meal, okay,
whether whatever is on yourtable.
If people would get back tothat.
I've had a lot of Americanfriends and I've also had some
(28:50):
American Sunday meals too, butthere's nothing better, even on
that.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
No, a fucking pot roast, you know, a boiled, a
boiled dinner, cabbage, whatever, yeah, yeah, a whole chicken
roasted French style on some cutvegetables and and a salad,
just to sit around the table,and the fact that you fabricated
it yourself.
There's no restaurant that canmatch that.
No, you bought a freshingredient.
I love the European, and thisis all across Europe.
(29:16):
I've seen it in every, andyou've traveled the world too.
You get a bag, yeah, and youbuy the ingredients for a day or
two and that's it, yeah, andyou cook those fresh.
Right, that's the way they doit.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
Then you go back to the market, get your next couple
meals.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
It's a.
Thing.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
There's not big refrigerators and ice boxes.
Speaker 2 (29:35):
No.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
All this over-dramatized stuff that we
have here in America, theluxuries that we have, all the
frozen food, double French doorrefrigerators with the drawers,
freezers and stuff.
I promise you that does nothappen there on the normal.
It does happen there.
Now don't get me wrong.
In Europe and Italy and stufflike that and other countries,
there are people who have thatstuff, but it's not on the
typical.
No, no, it's a small one-timehit and that's a wrap.
(29:59):
You know what I'm saying?
And they walk.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
It also gives them the exercise.
You know they're walkingthrough the market and there's
nothing like walking through amarket that has the vegetables
and the fruits and AnthonyBourdain used to kid around that
the vegetables, the produce inEurope, particularly Italy, was
so good because of all the deadRomans in the soil, but plenty
(30:23):
of dead Romans.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
That's the blood right there.
That's the blood.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
It's the, you know whatever it is, but it's true,
and I remember the tomatoes.
My wife goes why are yougetting so excited about
tomatoes, for God's sake?
She said.
I'll bring a couple into thebedroom, for Christ's sake, if
you're going to get that excitedover a goddamn tomato.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Slice them up, put them on the headboard.
Don't think about baseball.
Just look at the fuckingtomatoes.
I can last another four secondsMaybe, so maybe, maybe two,
because you want to get thetomatoes.
You'll fake it, just so you caneat.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
No, it's true, but the tomatoes and you know, like
in France and places like that,they value these things.
And what bothers me is a lot ofAmericans are very dismissive
of Europeans.
They're very dismissive oftheir food and their culture,
and I think that's a mistake,because I know that we have
differences about things, butthey value their culture and
(31:20):
they value it and that's soimportant to them.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
It's something we definitely lose here in America?
I think so so important to them.
It's something we definitelylose here in America.
I think so, being from a familyfrom overseas and also
traveling all the time andalways involving myself with the
world happenings, I do.
Honestly, one thing I can sayis I do love America.
I love being American.
I love coming home every fuckingtime I leave because I have the
(31:44):
ability to experience, so Ilove being this as my choice,
but I couldn't imagine notleaving this country or ever
experiencing what goes on inanother country, even if you're
going to fucking Asia orsomewhere like that, anywhere,
everywhere besides America.
America, out of all the placesI travel, is the least when it
comes to a culinary background.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Yeah, it's just basic it's younger, it's younger and
we are a melting pot, so we haveall kind of different
influences, which is fantastic.
But no, there is a tremendousmaturity in Europe and other
countries and pride in theirculture, and I always said, like
, like you or bourdain, you know, people that travel the world
(32:32):
would make outstandingsecretaries of state, because
the the expression of people'sculture is generally through
their food and they're veryproud of it and they're they
walk, they walk it out front,you know, and that's a very
important thing and I think it'ssomething that we should
respect as Americans and notderide Sure which I think
(32:54):
unfortunately very many peopledo.
And listen, we have to face thereality and maybe it's a good
thing.
There's a lot of people thatsimply hate food.
I've had people tell me Listen,I had a good friend tell me If
I could take a pill just tosurvive, I would.
I don't like to eat, I don'tunderstand that I don't like
food.
I think he's dead.
(33:14):
I think his soul is dead, hissoul died a long time ago.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
You're soulless if you don't love food.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
So the way I look at it like this I have guys that I
ride with and we'll ride acrossthe country and we'll stop for
lunch.
Me stopping for lunch meanssince breakfast I've been
thinking about it.
So I'm on the bike, gas, mileafter gas, mile after gas, stop
after gas, stop, I'm like,alright, lunch is coming up next
?
Where are we going to go?
Next thing, I know we'repulling to the next gas stop and
guys are coming out with bagsof potato chips and Slim Jims
(33:41):
and I go.
I thought we were eating lunch.
Oh yeah, we are.
This is your fucking lunch.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
Get that.
I'd throw him out of the clubWould you get busted For a Slim
Jim.
Speaker 1 (33:49):
This looks like prison food.
Why?
Speaker 3 (33:51):
are you?
Speaker 1 (33:51):
eating this.
Let's go.
Look, there's a restaurantright there.
I don't even care what's in it,it's better than that.
You know what I mean.
But some people just don't havethe uh connection to food as no
and and I think that's veryimportant now on your radio show
I'm sure you talk about allkinds of stuff, man, and every
(34:12):
once in a while I hear youtalking about food and the
connection with food to stuffand my co-host hates it and I
got a fighter.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
She doesn't like food , she makes fun.
I don't want to see a pictureof what you ate for supper.
I'm like what do?
What do you mean?
I mean people exchange.
She hates it.
I used to have something calledLawfare Kitchen and I would
talk about pasta.
I hate bread and I don't eatpasta.
She's a perfect example and Irespect her because she's a good
columnist, but she hates foodand she hates talking about food
(34:43):
.
So every time I do it I get thestink eye.
So don't call her for the foodwrite-up.
Don't call her for the foodwrite-up.
It's like tomorrow she's out,so I'm going to talk about Olio
di.
Olivo.
I got somebody sent.
A local company is importingSicilian olive oil.
Maybe you could taste a littleof it, but I want to talk about
(35:03):
olive oil.
I have people begging me totalk about food.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
Yes, that's what I was going to say, so that's why
I led into this.
So on your radio show, howoften do you get people talking
about food, or what's thereaction?
When you do bring it up on theradio, do you notice a lot of
interaction?
Speaker 2 (35:16):
The listeners love it .
As a matter of fact, I'msitting there watching Stanley
Tucci's show on NationalGeographic.
He was in I think he was inTuscany, and I got an email from
a listener.
Hey, listen, you know Tucci'son now.
It's really good, you shouldcheck it out.
I have some people call up andsay hey, can you talk about
(35:37):
olive oil some more so I canlearn about it?
Hey, I really like that feature.
I think the vast majority ofpeople do enjoy it.
I think that they love cookingfor their families, that a lot
of people cook in differentgenres.
We're in the South.
Barbecue's a big deal.
One day I started talking aboutit.
It's a bucket list for me to goto Franklin Barbecue in Texas,
which is famous right.
Phone rings off the hook,everybody wants to talk about
(35:59):
barbecue.
I've talked about pasta andsimple tomato sauce, and when
you were on that day it was abig deal.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
People loved it.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
People love food.
I'd like to get back on there.
We should do something tomorrowwe should do an Italian 101.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
Italian product 101.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
Just talking about teaching about the education
that I have and the breakdownand stuff.
Of course, what you havecombined would be crazy.
I mean we can go into all kindsof ingredients, the history of
them, where they come from.
It's what I do.
Everything I base my food on isbased off that history.
Speaker 2 (36:38):
I remember when you created the menu in the original
Luce in Norfolk and you wentvery methodically.
It was a representation of thevarious regions, it was
realistically crafted, knowingwhat we could import.
Sure, although we're prettyfortunate, here.
Speaker 1 (36:52):
If I couldn't make it , I had to import it.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
Yeah, but pretty much you could get, I think the
chingale, the boar you had toimport.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
Yeah, and now.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
I'm making that shit my own.
Yeah, so you know we're goingto shoot a fucking pig two miles
from here.
Speaker 1 (37:04):
No, we'll shoot a fucking pig two miles from here.
Speaker 2 (37:06):
No, not that, but I'm saying I'd do the guanciale now
.
Oh yeah, the guanciale, yeah,which you could make.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
Yeah, because there's so many pig farms around here.
It's for lardo same thing.
Speaker 2 (37:12):
You know I was watching Actually it was during
the Tucci show but up in aparticular town where they mine
marble.
There's one type of marble thatthey can use to make the lardo
because it's not porous.
So they take it the cut andthey layer it with this marble
(37:37):
and put a top on it like a tombfor six months and what comes
out is just amazing.
They use it like butter.
They'll have it on a crostini.
It's absolutely delicious.
You can infuse it flavor it.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
They use it like butter.
They'll have it on a crostini.
It's absolutely delicious.
You can infuse it, flavor it,it's beautiful.
Mix it with tallow, it'sdelicious.
Speaker 2 (37:54):
But I remember when you did that and it was
representative, and this Secondomenu is fantastic too.
So I don't know, it's hard tocommunicate with someone who
doesn't get it, but I think somany people get it.
Just look at the success of thefood industry.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
It won't stop.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
It just keeps growing In media, every show, every
station, now even stationsoutside of the Food Network,
stations that you would nottraditionally associate with
food media coverage NationalGeographic, for God's sakes.
The History Channel, Sure,Because it is important with
people.
There's a resurgence of aninterest in cooking and
(38:33):
ingredients.
Speaker 1 (38:34):
And that's a good thing, like going back to what
you were saying where you wishmore people would cook.
I think that is the case.
Yes, it's making it easier withsocial media and Instagram and
all these Instagram chefs whoare putting out their.
You know, our friend Matt Priceis really good at this.
Speaker 3 (38:49):
He'll put out some phenomenal recipes that you
could just watch him make.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
You can do at home and get at home.
Then he can get on his YouTubeor he can get on his Instagram.
Wonderful Email him and he'llhelp you yeah wonderful, but
people can make these things nowmuch faster, and the
restaurants that are out therenow, unlike myself, are going
the quick route to try and makemoney to pay their bills.
Me, I'm not going to ever dothat.
I'll shut the place down beforeI have to sacrifice quality for
(39:13):
quantity.
Speaker 2 (39:13):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (39:14):
And if there's more quantity needed to pay the bills
, then I guess I'm not going tobe able to make it.
Speaker 2 (39:20):
We're going to have to slow down and figure
something out, but I'm not goingto destroy my food, my recipe,
my beliefs, no, my beliefs, no,in putting out a shitty product.
You know the, the sous vide,which is the slow cooking under
time, under time, and I rememberthe uh, the pulpo, the octopus
served here in that way it'swonderful and the, the love that
goes into it.
It's important to me, it'simportant and my wife who,
(39:45):
unless she was a single mom,raised a couple of kids, husband
left and she cooks.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
Yeah, she's vegetarian now, no, yeah, so
that's even a more challengingthing for you not being one.
So in order to make that foodgood, you have to have an
understanding and respect forthat.
It gives me an excuse to maketwo dishes Exactly.
Plus, it gives you an excuse tolearn how to cook something new
.
Speaker 2 (40:08):
Yeah, so I'll make a linguine alla vongole for me
occasionally I'm not all thetime and then I'll make it for
her with a little bit of oil,some garlic, or maybe I'll take
eggplant and I'll roast it and.
I'll make that pasta witheggplant and once in a while,
maybe she'll have a little bitof cheese, because, listen, it's
(40:29):
, it's from the heart and andthat's what we do.
And she's now, she's into it.
Where, when we go overseas, uh,she knows what good food is.
Sure, and she, she won't eatanything that she'll take a
forkful If she doesn't like it.
Boom, that's it.
She's not going to eat itbecause it was put in front of
her Right right and I respectthat.
Sure and she loves this placeAbsolutely.
Speaker 1 (40:50):
Yeah, she does, she's great.
Yeah, Well listen, how can we?
We can talk about this shit allday long.
Speaker 2 (41:03):
Is there anything else that you want to ask?
No, I just this is great, sothat's where the ratings come
from.
Speaker 1 (41:06):
Yeah, and the dimples no matter what I say, she makes
it look good.
So I can just say the worstshit in the world and just put
the camera on her and forgetwhat I'm talking about.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
What was it, robert Plant?
Speaker 3 (41:17):
said it.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
I think it was Robert Plant said it when they were
filming a concert.
He said keep the camera on themoney.
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (41:26):
I Keep the camera on the money.
Speaker 3 (41:27):
Yeah, exactly, I think it was Robert Plant Keep
the camera on the money.
Speaker 2 (41:29):
Depends where you're looking Because they were
starting to highlight the dramaor something.
Keep it on the money.
Speaker 3 (41:35):
There you go and Beth , but yeah, I mean locally, I
mean I think a lot of people, Imean most people do, but where
can they find everything to findand listen and support you back
to?
Speaker 2 (41:44):
find and listen and support you back.
I'm on from 6 to 9 every day onAM 850, wtar 96.5, the Sunday
Gravy podcast that I do withLucky Luciano.
We're trying to get it to takeoff but it's so saturated it is
saturated, we're not set up.
Tony will be our first guest.
(42:06):
We're trying to set up a remotesituation where if he doesn't
if he's not able to come in livewe can do it to get Tony, and
because we do, he he wasemployed before he went to the
police department.
He was employed as an executivechef up in the at the Picatinny
arsenal.
He's trained and so he loves tocook and he's really a fan of
(42:27):
yours.
He comes in here with his ladyall the time and raves about the
place.
So Sunday Gravy podcast and I'ma lawyer but you're not
interested in that.
I practice with the firm ofBright Benyazin.
I'm a retired.
I spent five years with theNorfolk Sheriff's Office as
their staff attorney.
I was a sworn captain, so Ilike to.
(42:49):
I'm sort of a Walter Mitty.
I love it, you know.
Speaker 3 (42:52):
Well, I appreciate you supporting him because we
knew he could cook way backbefore that.
But when he decided to finallygo through with it, I mean we
all felt the same.
I knew, we knew it was going towork.
I knew.
Speaker 2 (43:03):
I'll never forget the words in the conference room.
He was auditioning, which hedidn't have to do because I
already knew him, but my wifeand she said the words failure
is not an option.
And the way he communicatedthat she said there's no risk in
this, that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (43:23):
Yeah, there's no risk .
Failure wasn't an option Stillisn't.
Speaker 2 (43:26):
Still not, and we saved the local 7-Elevens from
the mask and the briefcase Yep,yep, thanks for that.
Speaker 1 (43:38):
Anyway, with that being said, you've been a great
friend, you've been a great help, you've been a great assistant
and partner and just astraight-up inspiration.
Thank you, I appreciateeverything you've done.
You've helped me in thecourtroom quite often as well.
He is a lawyer.
As far as all your copendeavors, that's all on you.
Yeah, I thought it was going torun.
(43:58):
I called him up.
Speaker 2 (44:00):
It's a calling.
I hope the fact that I'mwearing a badge that we can
still come on.
Of course we can fact that I'mwearing a badge that we can
still come on, Of course we can.
Speaker 3 (44:05):
Well, that happened after though.
Speaker 1 (44:08):
I didn't ask his permission, but afterwards I
said listen, I got sworn.
Speaker 2 (44:12):
It's always been a thing I wanted to do public
service, can I?
Still consider you a friend,but he was hesitant, but I'm
very happy that he did not.
No, it's great, man you do whatyou got to do man At the that
he did not.
Speaker 1 (44:25):
No, it's great man, you do what you got to do.
Man, yeah, Listen, at the endof the day we go home and go to
sleep, yeah, and that's the endof it.
So, and then we eat great food.
Speaker 2 (44:31):
We eat great food and we cook great food and we love
great food and we love who weare.
Speaker 1 (44:34):
Sure, absolutely All right.
Well, listen, mike.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!