At about 10 o’clock every morning Tony Gaudio raises the metal shutters to his 42 year old business. He walks across the red tiled floors and turns on the lights. As the flickering florescent lights steady it illuminates a sign that reads ‘ no outside food will consumed on these tables.’
Tony Gaudio and 3 of his employees turn on the remainder of the machines and prepare for another day of business inside of Three Boys From Italy Pizzeria.
A landmark to the Allerton-pelham gardens neighborhood, this pizza shop has been located in the same spot since 1970. The longevity of this business is a testament to the quality of the food served there. In a heavy Italian accent Tony gaudio said, ‘ no, I don’t use the facebook, no Twitter. People like the food so they tell people.’ For certain there has been good things mentioned about the business which is constantly busy 7 days a week.
Category Archives: Small Business
The Beekeeper: as Beesy as a Bee. By Zhanna Kubankina
Life is the flower for which love is the honey.
~ Victor Hugo
A whole variety of vegetables, fruits, pastry, flowers, jams, cheeses, and, of course, honey can be found in Union Square on the days when it transforms into a farmers market.
“No, we did not bring the bees with us”- says a sign right next to Andrew Cotés (41) honey stand, which is covered by bees. There is a number of colored jars, pollen, whole pieces of honeycombs, propolis, royal jelly, beeswax, even soap -everything is fresh and healthy.
Where can a New Yorker find real honey in NYC? One does not need to go anywhere outside the city. The honey is right there: on the rooftops of multiple buildings all around the urban area. Coté has 320 hives total in Connecticut, New York State, and best of all, five boroughs of NYC.
“Beekeeping in the city is different than in the country,” said Andrew. Among the factors that can affect the quality and quantity of the product are the weather conditions, strength and health of the queen, and resources for the bees. You also have to be aware of the diseases that bees can get: different kinds of mites, bacteria, fungi infection, viruses, etc.
For bees to get pollen, Andrew “puts bee hives where other people have flowers already.” These flowers affect the variety of honey, so in order to get buckwheat honey, he finds fields of buckwheat (but this sort of honey can be produced outside city area, where there is space for fields). Among other varieties of honey he has are: blueberry, orchard tree, clover and basswood. One of the most popular is the wildflower, which is basically honey made with pollen of all different kinds of flowers that are available for bees in the area (that are around the beehive) or what the bees can find.
Andrew does not use any chemicals in his work with bees, but he cannot guarantee his produce to be organic, because a bee can fly anywhere up to five kilometers away to get pollen: “You can’t control that. Somebody might spray the flowers, but we do the best that is possible.”
Andrew is a fourth generation beekeeper. He started helping out his family with the business when he was 10 years old. His whole family is involved into the business, “The bees are like my daughters”, -said Andrew. He calls himself the largest single beehive owner in New York City, who was also raised in NYC.
Apart from Union Square, he also sells his produce in Forest Hills, near Columbus Circle. He also took part at New York City Day at the High Line.
Andrew’s honey is well-known; he does not even need a business card or any kind of advertisement. He simply does what he can do best and lets his business speak for itself. “I rely on word of mouth,”- he said-“and I have a website (andrewshoney.com) only because one of my customers made it.”
His customers are all kinds of people: children, grown up, black white, Russian, Turkish, Chinese, in Andrews opinion, “In New York there is no particular anything”.
Natalie Porter, a salesperson (21) says that whipped honey is the most popular one. “Wildflower is also really popular just because it’s kind of a basic one”. Natalie adds that it also depends on the season and on who is buying: “Japanese tourists always buy the tiny bears, like twelve of them. Russian people always buy basswood honey, because they have it in Russia a lot. We have regular customers. They’ll have allergies and they’ll come over and over again.”
Surprisingly, Andrew does not strive to expand the business or to increase sales: “I don’t want my business to grow. I like it like this. I like what I do, I am content and happy. I am not looking to become national.” On the contrary, he says “hopefully, it will be a little smaller. I am not getting younger and I work too much. Seven days a week.” He does not see any competitors in other beekeepers: “A lot of people try to do what I do, but I haven’t noticed any impact.”
Andrew is satisfied with his life: “I can choose what I want to do and I have chosen beekeeping. I am happy to do it. I am not doing it for any other reasons.” As for the future, he is planning “to stay alive and to be a better person.”
Protected: Allerton-Pelham Gardens: Three Boys from Italy Pizza Shop
Longevity and Tradition Help Keep a Family-Run Tavern in Business
By: Teresa Roca
The aroma of pizza and sound of friendly voices welcomes Staten Island residents into an old brick building every night. As they walk through the crowded room, jersey-wearing strangers toast each other with beers in response to the sports game, long-time friends reminisce on their past, and families of all ages strive to create new memories.
This is a typical night at Lee’s Tavern, a pub that has been in business since 1940.
“My husband lived two blocks down and he always came here,” said Catherine Palemine, owner of Lee’s Tavern. “The original owner, Leroy Moresco, wanted to get out of the business and his family wasn’t interested, my husband was.”
After years of working for Moresco, Diego Palemine became owner of Lee’s Tavern in 1969. His wife and their son Diego Palemine took over the tavern after his untimely death in 1986.
By keeping the traditions that strengthened Lee’s Tavern as a business, the Palemine family adds their own touches to continue the longevity and reputation of this tavern that has been a second home to local residents for over 70 years.
“We try to add a few things when we can,” said Diego Palemine. “We were the first place that anyone could remember having satellite television so guests could watch different games. We added more beer taps and a few more toppings to our pizza.”
Despite these changes, the family makes sure to hold onto the old-fashioned appearance and family-based core of the tavern that made this establishment a favorite among locals.
“We just came up with buffalo calamari. We take the same products we already have and put a different twist on it so you are not necessarily ordering something new,” said Diego Palemine. “I think one of the best compliments I get is when somebody comes in and says, ‘I haven’t been here in 30 years and it still looks the same.’”
One long-standing tradition the Palemine family continues to offer is their well-known thin crust pizza. The family prides themselves on the quality, and reasonable prices of $10 for a large pie and $5.75 for a small pie.
“People are looking to save their money and get the most out of their dollar,” said Diego Palemine. “They come here where they can feed a family of four for $30 or $40.”
Although the struggling economy has actually helped the business because islanders opt for the tavern’s low prices, the increase of water, electricity and food products has caused Lee’s Tavern to increase their prices when necessary.
“It’s getting tougher as prices are going higher,” said Diego Palemine. “We use about 600 to 700 pounds of flour to make dough and 700 to 800 pounds of cheese a week. When you add those up by the year, it’s a big number. “But we try to hold onto our prices for as long as we can,” added Catherine Palemine.
Located in the Dongan Hills area of Staten Island, Lee’s Tavern is surrounded by reputable bars and pizzerias. Although many of these businesses rely on word of mouth and their well-established reputation to stay successful, they still need to compete for newcomers.
Nunzio’s Pizzeria and Restaurant is located a few blocks from Lee’s Tavern. Open since 1942, they believe that they have the best pizza on the island, as many islanders compliment them on their bread-like dough and distinguishable tomato sauce.
“A lot of people come in and try to compare us to Lee’s Tavern. They always tell us that our pizza is better,” said Nunzio’s worker Nick Goldstein. “We have been around for 60 years, that reputation helps us out a lot. We have people come from all over that say they come here just for our pizza.”
Like Nunzio’s, Lee’s Tavern does not offer specials to customers on meals and drinks, compensating with their low prices and generous portions. The tavern also refuses to advertise in papers, through social media, or with a sign outside the building.
“We really haven’t had to do much to be honest with you,” said Diego Palemine. “Great grandparents came, grandparents came, and parents came, now the kids and grandchildren come. It’s a generation place. It is all word of mouth. Not having a sign outside just adds to the allure of people finding it and wanting to find it.”
With an increasing amount of bars closing in the area, they must distinguish themselves from one another in order to ensure business.
“Lee’s is known for pizza and we are known for having the best hamburgers,” said Mike Pace, a waiter at the Grant City Tavern. “We also offer certain specials on drinks and we have mixed drinks.” These are deals and specialties Lee’s Tavern does not offer.
In the last 15 years, the Palemine family has witnessed a major turnover in the neighborhood, as Hispanic minorities are moving in and locals are moving out. Thankfully, the Cheers-like atmosphere they have worked hard to build and maintain allows their bar to feel as if the neighborhood never changed.
“Customers now are coming from farther than they were,” said Diego Palemine. “A few years ago, they were coming from a five-block radius, now you have people coming from the other side of the island, or places like Jersey or Brooklyn.”
Diego and Catherine Palemine hope to make some changes to the tavern that will increase business such as adding more televisions, installing Wi-Fi connection and extending the kitchen. Until then, the Palentine family continues to build the reputation that was established for them by Moresco and the late Diego Palemine.
“Even though it’s a tavern, we have all age groups in here,” said Catherine Palemine. “This bar is family oriented and we try to keep it that way.”
Step inside Lee’s Tavern and find out why this is the East Shore of Staten Island’s go-to spot for locals.