Inside the ropes

1945 A Family Story

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This is a quick history of our family in Orlando area.  If you search Winter Park or Central Florida restaurant history, you will find many stories about "Papa Joe and Mama  D'Agostino. My Grandfather's family immigrated to Boston Massachusetts  in 1901 from Naples, Italy. They worked hard, assimilated into the American culture, and over the years built a local grocery business based on hard work, a strong family ethic and devotion to our family patron saint, St. Anthony. Time flew.  World War I saw Granddad fight on the American side until peace came. Then came Great Depression and on it's heels, World War II. All that time, they worked, saved and built a large family. Suddenly after WW ll, Granddad decided it was time to move on from Massachusetts. He wanted warmer weather, a less crowded world, more opportunity to grow his family and their future. He and my Grandmother set their sights on Florida and specifically Central Florida where they knew some friends from the military and lived in the area. The Kroepsch family were my Grandparents close friends for all the years I knew them. Col. Kroepsch and his family had always kept in touch with our family, and were part of the support group that helped Granddad form his dream.

In 1945 the family set out for Florida to build a new life. They sold their grocery business and with his wife Antoinetta, their five children, Antoinetta's mother, her sister Frances and his Father Giuseppe, they traveled until finally arriving in Winter Park, FL and started a new home. They build a small restaurant by the old McCoy Airfield. Grandma did the cooking, Granddad ran the front of the house and the restaurant became a local favorite. Granddad sold the restaurant to the Seng Family in 1947. The restaurant was (and as is still called) La Cantina.

Granddad took that money and built another restaurant in nearby Winter Park in 1948. That restaurant was the Villa Nova. Our entire family worked at the Villa at some time growing up. Granddad and Grandma had 5 children and 11 grandkids that all lived within 2 miles of the restaurant. We washed dishes, did prep, waited on tables, cooked on the line....whatever and whenever it was needed. What a way to grow up! The rich history of both those venues are still remembered by many in the Central Florida area. After Papa Joe retired, the family continued to run the venue until the mid 1980's. Many in the family had high profiles in the area. Uncle Joe D'Agostino was a football star at UF and is in their HOF. He also played with the Baltimore Colts. Uncle Tony D'Agostino worked with My Mom, Jeanne and Aunt Florence D'Agostino at the Villa Nova. Florence married Herb Ross who was a pioneer in home building in Central Florida. Aunt Anna D'Agostino married Jerry Belitz, whose family came to Orlando in 1917 and owned orange groves and packing houses and other properties in all around downtown Orlando.

The history didn't stop there, though. We've kept busy with our own restaurants (I had Jordan's Grove in Maitland for many years) after we moved from the Villa. My brother John ran the food and beverage business for Church Street Station for years then moved to corporate work with Levy Restaurants and Club Corp. Cousin Toni Lyn and husband Rick  Moon has one of the best BBQ in Texas at the Blue Moon BBQ in Hearne. Their son Matt continues their work and runs the business. Best BBQ in the OSR ! Check them out at www.bluemoonbbqtexas.com

It seems that that cooking gene never goes away. Now that I'm retired from the corporate rate race and doing consulting with wineries and restaurants, there has been an interest in home cooking and helping folks learn some of the key basics the pros use. In a real circle of life moment, I'll be starting a series of cooking from our home kitchen...showing my friends and colleagues the things I learned from my Grandmother, Grandad, Parents and family plus some of the learnings from a 40 year love affair with all things food and wine.