The sense of major accomplishment overwhelmed me upon my return home from Florida. My goal achieved. Of course, there was more improvements to be made but overall the condo in Bradenton was complete. Ready to go for family, friends and eventually rental income. There was no rest for the weary. It was back to business, back to reality. I was impressed with the job that my employees were doing at the store. Business was brisk and the customers were all happy and very satisfied. That being said, my attention would be up in Quakertown Pa. where my next endeavor was taking shape.
Way back in the day, I had the honor of filling the bellies of the masses with delicious burgers, roast beef sandwiches and sumptuous French fries. I was a “Chef” at the famous Roy Rogers fast food restaurant in Abington, Pa. A high school paycheck and my first entry into the culinary arts…. I made a mean Double R Bar Burger, I must say! I also took part in a pilot program there for one of the first ever salad bars in the country. This was 1978 and our Roy Rogers was chosen by corporate to test out this new food concept. Exciting eh? Did you know that the perfect piece of Iceberg lettuce for a salad is one inch by one inch? I did. The paycheck wasn’t bad and I really enjoyed working the grill and making Roast beef sandwiches. I could have done without the cowboy hat and red paisley uniform though. I lasted there for about a year and a half. I quit after I was accused of stealing two thousand dollars from the office safe. Questioned by the Abington police, they concluded that I was the only one that worked there that was intelligent enough to pull it off. Really? Turned out to be the Bread delivery guy. The night manager forgot to lock the safe the night before and the deliveryman stole the cash receipts when he dropped his invoice off early the next day. Morons. After a stint serving up auto parts for another year and a half at Pep Boys auto parts, I landed a job at South Philly Steaks and Hoagies in Hatboro, Pa.
It was my freshman year at Temple University. Splitting classes between the Ambler and Center city campuses was like a full time job but I still needed cash flow to pay the bills. An accomplished ice hockey official at this point, I made a decent amount of cash refereeing men’s league hockey games on Friday and Saturday nights. I needed more. Enter ” South Philly Steaks and Hoagies” in Hatboro. The help wanted sign in the window stared back at me every time I passed by as I drove back and forth to the rink along York Road. Why not? It was a small Mom and Pop operation open for lunch and dinner, six days a week. The owner, an older Italian gentleman named “Wally” welcomed my offer to work there with open arms. Who wouldn’t? My experience at Roy Rogers was clutch! I also offered up the help of my good friend and officiating partner Mark Oswalt. He was also looking for some extra work at the time too. We would become a full time summer tag team at the shop doing prep in the morning and serving up delicious Hoagies and Steaks to the neighborhood for the lunch shift. I manned the Hoagie table, Mark and Wally the grill, and Wally’s wife the phones and walk in’s. I learned a lot there. Especially, the many recipes passed down through the owners family. I loved constructing the perfect Italian Hoagie. It was an art. A passion. And thirty three years later…a reality.
On a side note, I would like to extend my sincerest and heartfelt condolences to a lifetime friend whose husband battled cancer for the last ten years. He fought a valiant battle that ended last week when he passed from his disease. We ran into each other a few weeks ago, prior to his demise, at the supermarket and had a long conversation in the International foods aisle. Constantly repositioning our carts to accommodate the traffic, I listened and felt her pain while she told me about her husband’s decline and the issues facing them currently. The hospital and doctor visits, the Medicare drug issues, the finances, the pain and suffering, the new treatments and trials. Some semblance of hope too. Overwhelming. This is a caregiver. The wife or husband or partner or child whose life becomes centered and consumed with the care of someone they love so much who has cancer. An emotionally and physically draining endeavor, especially as the cancer progresses and decimates its victim. I hope that my friend finds peace in knowing that she did her best, gave her all and how incredibly special she really is…❤.
Next Up: “DiNuzios Hoagie House”