L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano T he arrival of the Covid-19 vacci- nes has given us, and the world, a b u r s t o f n e w energy and hope that has been missing for more than a year. The uplifting news c o n v i n c e d m y w i f e and me to plan, during the spring recess, a four-day trip to Philadelphia. We had reached our limit of staying inside for more than a year and making Zoom meetings part of our lives. After a two- and-a-half-hour car drive to the city of Brotherly Love, we arrived at our destination in Narberth, a borough out- s i d e o f P h i l a d e l p h i a . W e rented an Airbnb in a quaint area where stone houses are s u r r o u n d e d b y s p r o u t i n g cherry blossoms. It was the first time our d a u g h t e r s v i s i t e d Philadelphia, and since their father teaches social studies also, what a better place to visit than where Thomas J e f f e r s o n w r o t e t h e D e c l a r a t i o n o f Independence and Betsy R o s s k n i t t e d t h e f i r s t American flag at the request o f G e n e r a l G e o r g e Washington. Besides vis- iting the city's historic sites, another planned family stop was eating at Ralph's, the oldest Italian restaurant in America. In 2012, after 126 years, Fior d'Italia permanently closed in San Francisco. At the time, it was the oldest I t a l i a n r e s t a u r a n t i n t h e c o u n t r y u n t i l a t e a m o f researchers declared that Ralph's is rightfully the next I t a l i a n r e s t a u r a n t t o b e a w a r d e d t h i s h o n o r . T h e l a n d m a r k r e s t a u r a n t w a s h i g h l y r e c o m m e n d e d b y friends, and the excellent on-line reviews made the decision easier. During our last night in Philadelphia, we were excit- ed about eating in a restau- rant for the first time in over a year. Our friends, who live in New York City and have practiced social distancing, m e t u s a t t h e r e s t a u r a n t . The couple also wanted to visit the city, for both were v a c c i n a t e d a n d c u r i o u s a b o u t t h e o l d e s t I t a l i a n restaurant, founded in 1900 b y F r a n c e s c o a n d Catherine Dispigno. T h e i m m i g r a n t c o u p l e emigrated from Naples in 1 8 9 3 a n d s e t t l e d i n Philadelphia. Following sev- e r a l y e a r s w o r k i n g i n Pennsylvania, Francesco and Catherine saved their pen- nies and dimes and opened a restaurant named after their son Ralph. The restaurant's General Manager, who goes b y t h e n a m e o f J B , w e l - comed us and reminded me that, "Most of the Italian restaurants that opened in t h e a r e a w e r e l o c a t e d i n b o a r d i n g h o u s e s a n d became, as in the case of the D i s p i g n o f a m i l y , a w a y w h e r e t h e y h e l p e d o t h e r Italians come to America by giving them jobs, food and shelter." These days there is a dif- f e r e n t e x p e r i e n c e w h e n going to a restaurant. Most o f t h e m a d h e r e t o t h e CDC guidelines by position- i n g t h e i r t a b l e s s i x f e e t apart, which makes restau- r a n t s a p p e a r a b i t s p a r s e inside. Another adjustment made is being waited on by p e o p l e w e a r i n g m a s k s ( a CDC requirement) under- n e a t h a p r o t e c t i v e f a c e shield. The precautionary health maxim alleviates any customer concerns. I imme- diately realized that eating at a restaurant as long as the p a n d e m i c p o s e s a h e a l t h risk, is a whole new experi- ence. Restaurants are trying to recover from their economic l o s s e s . S o m e b u s i n e s s e s h a v e c l o s e d p e r m a n e n t l y due to the pandemic. When we arrived, I noticed a hand- written sign several doors away from Ralph's, which indicated "Closed perma- n e n t l y , w e w o u l d l i k e t o thank all our customers for supporting us throughout the years." The sign is a grim reminder of what is happen- ing throughout the country. Fortunately, Ralph's has e n d u r e d t h e h a r d t i m e s . "We lost 75% of our earnings t h e f i r s t f e w m o n t h s o f C o v i d , " s a i d J i m m y Rubino, one of the owners of Ralph's. Jimmy, who was born and raised in the same area as his famous restau- rant, started working there a t s i x - y e a r s o l d w i t h h i s grandfather. After working f o r a r e l a t i v e ' s p l u m b i n g ALFONSO GUERRIERO JR b u s i n e s s f o r a f e w y e a r s , Jimmy realized he needed to continue leading the family- owned business. R a l p h ' s l e g a c y i n Philadelphia is well known. The establishment has sus- tained World War I & II, the 1930s Depression, and now a global pandemic. "In the beginning, we had to lay off most of our workers. It was r e a l l y r o u g h , " J i m m y says. Along with his brother E d , e i g h t y - t w o - y e a r - o l d mother Elaine, and other family members, he over- s e e s a l l a s p e c t s o f t h e i r restaurant. They live next door and have truly dedicat- e d t h e i r l i v e s t o t h e business. "One of the ways we have survived is through takeout orders. We joined several food app services, which has helped us tremendously," the fifty-nine-year-old pro- p r i e t o r e x p l a i n e d . S m a l l businesses were forced to cut their expenses. This in return offset their costs and a l l o w e d m a n y t o s u r v i v e through deliveries. Many of Ralph's takeout orders are from families that have fre- quented the restaurant for generations. "We are really l u c k y , " J i m m y s a i d . " W e h a v e c u s t o m e r s g o i n g on five generations who reg- ularly eat here but with lim- iting seating, they instead order from the apps." J i m m y w a n t s t h e c u s - t o m e r ' s e x p e r i e n c e t o b e u n f o r g e t t a b l e . " F o r m e , " Jimmy declared, "I want the customer's experience to be the same as when they first arrived. I always aim to have them fulfilled in the quality of food and service we offer." H i s o l d s c h o o l c h a r m i s directly connected with his Italian American roots in Philadelphia. "I love my her- itage and what my family has accomplished. I make sure that I live by those old Italian traditions. I think t h a t i s w h y p e o p l e k e e p coming back." J i m m y ' s s t a n d a r d s d i d not fall short of our expecta- tions. The service was spec- t a c u l a r a s w e l l a s the food. My entrée was the pappardelle primavera. My w i f e o r d e r e d e g g p l a n t parmigiana while one of our friends decided on a salad with fresh artichokes and the other chose ravioli. For appetizers, we decided on the escarole and I insisted on trying one of Ralph's sig- nature items, the meatballs well known in Philly. The gravy (as many say in Philly) draped over the meatballs just made your palate wanti- ng more. The restaurant's g e n e r o u s p o r t i o n s , t h a t would satisfy King Henry VIII, led us to bring home the leftovers. On our way back to New York, I reflected not only on o u r m u c h - n e e d e d f a m i l y sojourn but on the experi- ence at Ralph's, which in an interesting way was more enjoyable than the food and company. We all yearn for the pre-Covid days, when we hugged our elderly parents and/or grandparents with- out forethought. The visit to the restaurant gave me that s e n s e o f n o r m a l c y t o t h e " g o o d o l ' d a y s , " w h e n w e could show our affections. M o s t r e s t a u r a n t s c a n n o t boast about having five gen- erations of families enter their doors. However, just like restaurants need cus- tomers, patrons need places like Ralph's during these very difficult times. A sign in front of Ralph's entrance tells us more about its long history (Photo courtesy of Alfonso Guerriero Jr) A visit to the oldest Italian restaurant in America LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE

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