Our Story
In the early 1900's, Lorenzo Melito arrived on the northeastern shores of his newly adopted country of America.
Fresh from Naples, Italy, he brought with him the tastes of his homeland. He settled in the borough of Staten
Island, New York, among many fellow immigrants with whom he could share his cultural tastes and traditions. He
met Maria, a fellow immigrant, and soon they were married and began a family.
Mangiamo- Let's eat!
They passed their love of cooking
dishes from the old world down to their six children. Their daughter, Rosa, a first generation Italian-American,
passed these along to her children. Among them was her only son, Robert Lorenzo, who shares a love for cooking
the old recipes, and his name, with his Italian grandfather.
Growing up in New York, the family was exposed to
new ideas and ingredients that hadn't been available
to them before. They followed the Italian tradition of
making use of the ingredients around them, and became
part of what was to be known as Italian Immigrant
cooking. These recipes shaped several generations, and
now we proudly present them for your enjoyment!