On one side of Pelham Parkway in the Bronx lies a kosher deli that is struggling to stay open because of skyrocketing rent. On the other side, stands an Italian owned pizzeria that continues to thrive and serve the community. It is true that owning the property can help a small business get by, but business owners still face difficulties.
The owner of La Pentola, an Italian pizzeria and restaurant, Filippo Tortora knows a little something about the struggles of being a small business owner. “When we opened the pizzeria, a lot of the people in charge were unhappy that we were opening another pizzeria. I told them to be happy that we spent half a million of dollars to build the neighborhood up,” he said.
Tortora makes it clear that his success rests on his ownership of the property. “The rents are too high for businesses and unless you’re lucky and your family owns the property, like us, then it is very hard for small businesses to stay open,” he said.
There are numerous businesses around the surrounding area that are not fortunate enough to own their space. Such a business is the kosher deli Delicious on Lydig, which is one that serves the very few remaining Jews in the community. They are struggling to pay their rent and are therefore asking for donations on gofundme.com in the hopes of raising $30,000. “It’s hard and even though there are not as many Jews around, they should still have the opportunity to eat food they like,” Tortora said.
Just like the kosher deli, Tortora’s business has gone through countless obstacles from its very beginnings to now. “I had no experience in this company. I started from zero. I had experience in the food business, specifically the tomato business back in Italy, but nothing like this,” he said.
Tortora’s beginnings started in the small town of Pompeii in Naples, Italy, where his parents were in the tomato business. The family business was called Giovanni Tortora, named after his father, and it was successful until the year 1983. “After 1983, there was a nuclear explosion in Russia that affected the soil and the agriculture, and this is when corruption started in Italy,” he said.
The Italian then immigrated to America where he began to make a better life for himself. “At first I had an opportunity to open a McDonald Express and even a Dunkin Donuts. But at the time, I had no papers, so I needed someone to help me. I was already thinking of the next step, but I had no one to support my view.”
This lost opportunity didn’t stop Tortora from pursuing the pizzeria. In just one month, Filippo came up with a menu, changed the canopy, and came up with a name. “Coming up with a name was a difficult time for me. Salt and pepper? Olive oil? I thought of a name related to food. But how do we cook? And then I said, la pentola, which means “the pot” in Italian. I dedicated this to my aunt who was part of the covenant for 45 years.”
From the time La Pentola opened in 2006 to now in 2014, Tortora has faced many hardships that small business owners can relate to, especially in the food business. “In the Bronx, labor and workers are not easy to find. Unfortunately, you don’t find enough Italian chefs who know about the food from Italy,” he said.
In fact, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Department statistics, 23.2 percent of the workers in the food business are Hispanic or Latino. “It can be difficult because not all, but a lot of the workers, like to drink and party and they sometimes do not show up for work. This is a big problem not only for me, but for a lot of people in the food business,” Tortora said.
Another problem that Filippo has dealt with is the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. With their new addition of letter grades for restaurant inspection, they have become very strict on what should and shouldn’t be done when operating a restaurant. “The Health Department is another problem. Some people who work there do not have too much knowledge of what they are doing,” Tortora said.
Tortora made it clear that the department is all in it for the money. “In the fruit store and the candy store, eggs are allowed to be outside. They only get a slight warning. But when they come in the pizzeria, they give a $550 fine and I need to throw out the eggs,” he said.
Tortora suggested that the Health Department should investigate how the eggs were transported instead of stressing their temperature at any given moment. ” If you want to be an inspector, you need to see how the eggs are transported and if they are refrigerated, and I tell them this when they come,” he said.
Regarding competition, there are two other pizzerias in the area, but Tortora just considers them the other pizzerias that people can go to. “For me, I don’t consider other stores competition. Even if they make another pizzeria, it doesn’t bother me. I’d say good luck. There’s space for everybody.”
The most popular food the pizzeria sells is surprising, because it’s not pizza; it’s penne alla vodka. But according to the Village Voice, in 2007, they named the pizzeria for having the best buffalo chicken pizza. La Pentola continues to innovate their selections with ziti slices, Mexican slices, and Hawaiian slices. Tortora has even added the first juice bar in Pelham Parkway to the pizzeria which has gotten a positive response from the community.
“Back then, I said to myself, if I need to stay here, then I need to make sure I have a secure income that if I ever wanted to stop working and go back to Italy, that I could. Today, thanks to my aunt and my cousin, I bought some real estate, and now I’m in the position that I can stop working,” Tortora said.
Even with all this success and new additions to La Pentola, Filippo is not looking to stop and he even has new projects in mind. He is thinking of adding a bar that plays live music, a social club where people can play chess, and possibly an arcade where kids can play games and stay out of trouble.
It is evident that being a small business owner takes a lot of work and dedication. “I could work 24 hours, but I would never finish my job. Sometimes you cannot do everything yourself, but it’s not so easy to trust people,” he said.
Jeffrey Panish, a long time resident of the community and a friend of Tortora gives a little advice for small business owners. “It’s not nine to five. It’s 24 hours, seven days a week. If the business is good, it’s yours. If it’s not good, it’s still yours. Filippo continues to show this as he has remained in the community as a great businessman.”
Last year Tortora was awarded as the best businessman of Pelham Parkway by Senator Jeff Klein. “I’m the last one to leave Pelham Parkway at night and I just want everyone to feel safe because it is a nice neighborhood. It’s a great honor to receive this award,” he said.
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