Tag Archives: Teresa Roca

Longevity and Tradition Help Keep a Family-Run Tavern in Business

Posted on by

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.

Joe Gould’s Secret

Posted on by

By: Teresa Roca

Joseph Mitchell’s “Joe Gould’s Secret” is a classic in disguise. Through Mitchell’s writing, he is able to capture the emotions of each character, allowing the reader to understand the actions of Gould and Mitchell.

When I began reading this novel, I did not find bohemian Joe Gould to be a likeable character. I found him to be selfish and felt that he was using his oral history as a way to trick his friends and acquaintances into donating money to the “Joe Gould fund.” His constant drinking and lies about what he would use the money for strengthened my negative thoughts about Gould. An example would be, “I’m supposed to go to the clinic at the Eye and Ear Infirmary, at Second Avenue and Thirteenth Street, and pick up a prescription for some eye trouble I’ve been having, and if it’s one kind of prescription it won’t cost anything but if it’s another kind it may cost around two dollars, and I’ve just discovered that I don’t have any money with me, and it’s getting late, and I wonder if you’d ask your receptionist to lend me two dollars” (Mitchell 55). We later find out that Gould never went to the clinic and used the money for something else. As the novel continued, I began to feel sympathy and understand why Gould acted the way he did. By learning of Gould’s past, and how he would rewrite the death of his father and other prominent events in his life over and over again, I discovered that Gould is a character suffering from pain and regret of his past. This humanizes Gould, turning him into a more likeable character, as readers are now able to relate to him.

Throughout the novel, Mitchell’s ability to feel sympathy for Gould makes him an admirable character. By paying for Gould many times, forwarding his mail, and checking on him, this shows the genuine character Mitchell is. Mitchell is not a character that carries the stereotype journalists unfortunately carry of using their subjects for stories. That fact that Mitchell did not continue to badger Gould about the oral history not existing, and that he kept Gould’s secret even after his death shows the remarkable journalist Mitchell is. It is also interesting to see how much the neighborhood cared for Gould after his death, especially when friends dedicated their time searching for the oral history. One man made a community come together as a whole. This makes me believe that maybe this was Gould’s secret all along.

This novel is relatable, smart, informative, and draws emotion. I am glad that I had the opportunity to read it.

Working as a Mid-19th Century Carpenter in 2012

Posted on by

By: Teresa Roca

Norm Pederson arrives at his 19th century style workshop at the crack of dawn almost every morning. Inside, wooden buckets hang from the ceiling above him, spoons, butter presses and rolling pins sit on tables beside him, and scraps of wood are scattered around him. As Pederson carefully makes his way through the cluttered room, sounds of wood shavings crackle beneath his wood-dusted work boots, as he gathers his tools, and prepares to split and shave wood for his next creation.

Pederson isn’t a professional carpenter. He is a volunteer at Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island.

“I portray the farmer who would be working in a shop like this in the 1850s,” said the 17-year volunteer. “I make things the way they were made at this time. That means style, materials and methods.”

Norm Pederson in his carpentry shop.

A Staten Island native for 66 years, Norm Pederson dedicated his post-retirement to fulfilling two passions that began during childhood: carpentry and history. With Historic Richmond Town becoming more volunteer dependent as business decreases with each passing year, Pederson volunteers to help the village stay alive and to inform people of America’s history, just as he was informed as a child.

“My grandfather came to this country from Norway in the 1890s as a carpenter,” said Pederson. “My father taught me carpentry when I was a little boy with my grandfather’s tools. He taught me how carpentry was done during my grandfather’s time. I still use some of my grandfather’s tools, which is a pleasant connection with my own past.”

Pederson visited Historic Richmond Town, the only living historic village in New York City, frequently as a boy. The now 25-acre village with 15 restored buildings only consisted of a museum and the Voorlezer house, which is a national historic landmark.

Despite his passion for carpentry and history, Pederson didn’t pursue either as a profession. After flunking out of college (“I had a lot of fun in college”), Pederson enlisted in the army. He later worked for the city is a deck handler on the Staten Island Ferry, cleaning litter and handling lifeboats. However, he never forgot the skills taught to him by his father. He continued to practice carpentry and research history casually throughout his life.

Pederson got involved with civil war reenacting and returned to Historic Richmond Town for an event in 1994.

Pederson’s carpentry shop.

“I got talking to some of the people who work here and they were very interested in other people who were interested in history,” said Pederson. “Then an offer was made and I got involved. One day I saw the shop, which hadn’t been used in ten years or so and I said, ‘can I kind of hang out in this shop?’”

Pederson now helps visitors explore American life in the mid-19th century by allowing them to experience the life of a farmer through his carpentry demonstrations.

When people come to Pederson’s shop, he always makes sure to follow one simple rule: grab the visitor’s attention.

“Sometimes I go for a cheap thrill, such as splitting wood,” said Pederson. “Showing how it splits seems like a very simple thing, but it actually catches people’s imagination. If you can do that, then you might go a little further and talk about the technical part of it. You don’t want to start out with the technical part because we don’t want to bore people to death. We want to entertain them.”

According to Felicity Biel, the director of education and programs at Historic Richmond Town, “Norm is a wonderful asset. He relates well to all ages of visitors and makes the story of earlier American life so accessible to people who visit his shop to see his demonstration of farmer and carpentry skills.”

Pederson’s wooden pieces aren’t just for show. His items are displayed in museums, sold to visitors, used to furnish historic houses and more. Pederson also helps Richmond Town by performing American Folk music by playing the fiddle with band member Bob Conroy at Richmond Town events, helping the maintenance team pick up litter, and fixing things around the village.

IMG_0181

“Beyond what visitors can see, Norm has also helped behind the scenes,” said Biel. “He has repaired spinning wheels that are used in the school workshop programs and carved wooden yokes so young visitors can try them out.”

Despite school and camping trips that drastically helps Richmond Town’s business, the village still suffers because of the neighborhood’s development throughout the years. As Richmond Town continues to modernize, becoming more upper class, people are beginning to forget about this rustic village that has been at the center of Staten Island’s history for hundreds of years.

“You get a lot of people from other countries. You don’t get many Staten Islanders,” said Pederson. “Since the bicentennial it has been down. Europeans are great listeners because they are interested in our history.  Americans are not interested in their own history anymore. That is partly why this place doesn’t have much money.”

Although Pederson does not get paid with money for his long hours of hard work, he does get paid other ways.

“I never make a lot of money, but that was my choice. I enjoy my life,” said Pederson. “I am a very lucky person in the sense that Historic Richmond Town needs something like this and they’re nice enough to let me do this. When you are teaching, it’s really rewarding to have people pay attention to you. Having people ask intelligent questions and being respectful, what could be better than that?”

Podcast: Although Pederson enjoys volunteering at Old Richmond Town, there are down sides to volunteering as a carpenter.