DO: Were any other dishes on the menu influenced by your mom?
CP: The veal meatballs for appetizers. I used to have them when I was kid. My mom and dad were Sicilian. Mom was a great cook, but all the women were. I lived on the 5th floor and it would take me ten minutes to get down to the first floor. `Cause on every floor they would see me, “Oh, come in Chazz, taste some sausage, taste some meatballs.’ And it was a good thing I was very thin because you could really put on some weight! The whole building was like one big picnic. I really wanted to share that food, that atmosphere with people today.
DO: It’s delicious food―and reasonably priced.
CP: We’re doing it a good price―that was important to me. With the economy, people can’t go out every night and spend $100 for fine dining. It’s impossible. But come here, this is casual and fun. We have some pizzas, great pasta, beer.
We care about giving great food. My partners and our chefs are genius. I gave them old recipes and they made them taste even better. We make our own pasta, we make our own sauce and cheese. We try to make everything ourselves. We keep the beer on special kegs, each glass comes out at 32 degrees so it’s cold. There’s nothing worse than warm beer!
DO: Have you invited any of your celebrity friends?
CP: Robert DeNiro has visited. So have NFL players and others. They only drawback of Baltimore is I can’t get everyone here readily. It’s a four-hour drive from Manhattan. But friends have promised to come when they can.
DO: Do you have plans for expansion?
CP: Yes. We’re looking at places in the Washington, D.C. area including National Harbor [in suburban Maryland]. Other places include Atlantic City, where I recently did a one man show at Caesars Palace. This way on a weekend I could visit them all and we could keep a real close eye on each one, so you have the same great experience.
DO: When you’re not working, do you have a favorite vacation spot? I was told you love Long Island and take your family every summer. What about internationally?
CP: Rome. Sitting in a café right next to a building from 2000 years ago blows my mind.
For more Baltimore area travel, check out:
- Ask the Locals: Baltimore, Maryland
- Donna M. Owen’s City Girl Gone Camping
- Donna M. Owen’s Interview with Art Smith
- The Culinary Travel Archives
Text by Donna M. Owens for PeterGreenberg.com. Donna is an award-winning journalist based in Baltimore who reports for print, broadcast and online outlets nationwide.
Photos credit: Chazz: A Bronx Original
Chazz: A Bronx Original
1415 Aliceanna Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21231
Phone (410) 522-5511
