Tina Sacramone was born in a small town in the Abruzzo region called Orsogna. When Tina was ten years old her father passed away. Her mother had to seek employment to support the family which meant Tina had to look after her three younger siblings.  After school she would come home and do all of the household chores and of course cook dinner for her brothers and sister.  It was at a very young age that she knew she had a passion for cooking. Tina often recalls her sense of contentment and proudness when she watched her younger siblings gobble up whatever meal she had created.

When Tina was fourteen she began courting her now husband, Benito. She always tells her family the story of when Benito was over her house and it was time for her to cook for the family. She was making her famous “Polpette di Formaggio” (cheese croquettes).

She only had one egg and a handful of cheese, it was barely enough for them, let alone a guest. “He wouldn’t leave, and I couldn’t be rude and tell him to go so I just started cooking!”  With one egg, a handful of cheese, and a lot of bread (to stretch it out), she created a delicious meal for the five of them! Benito knew that night he would marry Tina.
After they were married, Tina and Benito had two children. She passed on her love of cooking to them.  At the age of five, her oldest son Rocco would take pleasure in helping his mom in the kitchen whether it was stirring the sauce or preparing the morning “orzo”.

The family moved to the United States in 1970.  Tina worked as a seamstress until she had her third child. Her love of cooking and baking dazzled holiday tables, birthday parties, and school bake sales.

One day Tina’s son Rocco told his mother he was embarking on the journey of opening up his own restaurant. Tina was so proud and offered him some simple but crucial advice…”Anyone can cook but a successful cook is passionate about it and has a tremendous amount of respect for the people he or she is cooking for.” Tina continues to offer guidance in her son’s successful restaurant and is very thankful to their loyal patrons whom she calls “amici” (friends).  When she is not at the restaurant, Tina enjoys spending time with her four grandchildren.  She admits that there are no words sweeter than “Nonna this is delicious!”