Happy Birthday, Uncle Joe!

It's amazing how fast a year goes by - it feels like only a short time ago that I was saying happy birthday to Uncle Joe for his 79th birthday, and now it's his 80th!

Uncle Joe taking a quick picture in the kitchen. He loves that pink tie!

This is a big deal for Uncle Joe, as it represents a huge milestone in his life. He's been through a lot in his 80 years, from his childhood where his parents were still struggling to make a living in America, to his adulthood where he saw Patsy's grow and flourish into a cornerstone of NYC's treasured restaurant industry.

Uncle Joe with his beloved wife, Aunt Rose. They've been happily married for many years, and they're looking forward to many more!

Now he's an extremely proud father, grandfather, husband, uncle, and friend to the many, many lives he's touched over the years. It's an incredible testament to his impact on not only the restaurant, but also the city, that people still flood into the restaurant who greet him with a friendly "Joey! How you doin'?"

The truth is, there wouldn't be a Patsy's today without Uncle Joe. When Patsy himself was a young man trying to save up enough money to fund his American dream, a little six year old Joey took a job in a pastry shop in Little Italy to help the family save up money. He had several odd jobs in the pastry shop, and I remember him telling me that one of the job requirements was knowing how to whistle. This wouldn't seem like a necessary skill for selling pastries, but the owner of the shop wanted Uncle Joe to constantly be whistling whenever he couldn't see him - that way, he knew he wasn't eating anything in the store!

Uncle Joe with his son (Sal, of course!) and his grandchildren Joey and Peter.

As young Joey began to grow into a man, he became more and more instrumental in the dream that Patsy was fulfilling. Uncle Joe helped out at the Sorrento (the restaurant that Patsy co-owned before Patsy's), and when it finally came time for Patsy to start his own restaurant, Uncle Joe was a full-time chef. Having a chef you trust in a brand-new restaurant is easily one of the most important keys to staying around for a long time, so the fact that Patsy's has been open for so many decades is a testament to all the great food that Uncle Joe produced in those early years. (And make no mistake, he's still got it!)

Uncle Joe with one of his grandsons, Chef Peter. Peter is proudly continuing the tradition that Uncle Joe started of being a Scognamillo Chef who works the position that Patsy himself once worked!

As time went on and Patsy's stood tall in a city of giants, Uncle Joe's role has shifted. Where he was once the head chef of a kitchen fulfilling packed pre-theater dinner crowds on a nightly basis, he's now in the front, warmly greeting people and showing them to their tables. (Pre-theater dinner crowds are still busy, though!) He used to train new, untested chefs, eager to learn enough of Patsy's recipes so that they could stake out a career there, but now he mentors his young grandson Peter, paving the way for a fourth generation of Scognamillo chefs at Patsy's. And as he was once a young boy full of dreams and ambitions, he is now the protector and patriarch of our family.

Uncle Joe with his older (and much loved!) sister Anna.

Uncle Joe, thanks so much for everything you've done for our family, for Patsy's, and for people everywhere who want great Italian food! We all love you, and wish you a very happy birthday and many more, as you continue to enjoy the legacy that you helped create all those years ago.