Nov 4, 2017 4 min read

Over its more than 50 years in business, Peppino’s served everyone from celebrities to Washingtonians from all walks of life who shared a common love of homemade Italian food.

Peppino’s, which was founded in 1963 in Tylerdale by Barbara Nicolella and her late husband, Bob, was moved to 234 S. Main St. in 1985 after Bob purchased the Bassettown Inn.

Peppino’s will serve its last meals today, and the business will officially close, said the Nicolellas’ daughter, also named Barbara.

The building that housed the restaurant and an adjacent building at 244 S. Main St. that was used for Peppino’s catering operation will be sold, she said.

Barbara, of McMurray, estimated her family made “millions” of meatballs over the decades it was in business. After her brother Tony left the restaurant to join Allegheny Millwork, her brother Rob ran the restaurant and catering business for the past three years, making the sauce, pasta and the bread, which was always a customer favorite.

“He did everything, rolled the meatballs, the handmade raviolis, made the bread,” Barbara said Friday. “Everything was made from scratch.”

She said the work became overwhelming for her brother. Her mother, who will turn 80 in March, still owns the business but retired from working there a number of years ago.

Bob died in May 2012, at 86, leaving Peppino’s to his wife.

His daughter said Friday her dad, who was a union carpenter and also served on Washington City Council for 20 years, grew up around food and cooking.

He learned to cook from his mother, Nicolina, who operated Kozy Kottage restaurant on East Maiden Street. During World War II, Bob served in the U.S. Navy, preparing meals for commissioned officers.

After the war, Bob and his brother Joe formed a construction company, Nicolella Brothers, building homes and apartments, then opened a hamburger and ice cream shop called HiFi near Washington High School in the early 1950s, before the school had a cafeteria.

In 1961, Bob bought a small deli on Wylie Avenue in Tylerdale named Ben’s 57 Varieties, operating it as a deli and catering business called Peppino’s Specialized Food. Barbara said a customer suggested the name, which comes from a popular Italian song about a mouse named Peppino.

Mrs. Nicolella said Friday the Tylerdale location did well in its early days, before the glass factories closed. “We had a good 20 years there,” she said.

Peppino’s at the South Main Street site wasn’t just a popular place to eat; it was a survivor.

In the early morning hours of Jan. 30, 2013, an electrical fire swept through the restaurant after Tony had closed it for the night. While the bar and restaurant sustained heavy damage, the catering business next door was unscathed.

The family was able to reopen the restaurant six months later, with Tony, a licensed contractor, and Rob doing the renovations.

Like a lot of businesses with a long life, Peppino’s had stories to tell.

Barbara said one of her dad’s favorites was the day in the late 1980s when he got a call from Delvin Miller, owner of The Meadows Racetrack, who had a favor to ask.

“He told my dad that (former New York Yankees great) Joe DiMaggio was visiting The Meadows and was hungry for some Italian food,” Barbara said. “Delvin asked if my dad could pick him up and take him to the restaurant. My dad sent a car for him.”

The Nicolellas have a photo of DiMaggio’s visit to Peppino’s, as well as those of other famous guests, including trumpeter Louis Prima, boxer Sammy Angott and former Miami Dolphins star Larry Csonka.

Barbara and her mother expressed their thanks for all of their customers, as well as their employees.

“We’ll miss them all, and all of the employees,” Barbara said.

One of those employees is Melanie Evanovich of Washington, who worked as a server at the restaurant for more than 20 years. Evanovich said Friday she’s not sure where she’ll work after today.

Barbara also praised the work of her brother Rob.

“He perfected my father’s recipes over the past 30 years and worked hard day and night preparing the food our customers enjoyed over the years,” she said.