WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Frank Malacari now has the perfect thing to pair with the line of wines started by his grandfather — homemade pasta dishes in a restaurant run by his family.
"My family has been doing this for 50 years, and it's great to continue the legacy. [My grandfather] started bringing in grapes on boxcars by train 50 years ago, way before I was around, and to continue the same recipes and sell it to the customers is just great."
If you live in Luzerne County, you might recognize the Malacari name from the ever-growing list of businesses they operate: a winery, grocery store, mini golf course, several ice cream shops, and now a sit-down restaurant.
Employee Matt Yekel remembers when this was the old grocery store location before the Malacaris moved that operation to Wilkes-Barre Township.
"The registers were right over here," Yekel said, pointing to what is now a row of dinner tables.
"I think there was like Middleswarth chips over here," pointing behind what is now a full-service bar.
Yekel started working for the Malacari family in high school, so he knows better than anybody that they don't like to take days off. But hey, how else are you going to run this many businesses?
"The pace they work at, you've got to try to keep up!" Yekel said.
The only thing that could slow this family down was a pandemic.
"We actually had this all in the works that day after we moved from this location to our new Mundy Street store. So that's going back five or six years ago now. COVID hit; it was kind of a hiccup on stuff," Malacari said.
Finally, the kitchen is cooking up Italian classics, the full-service bar is up and running, and the family tradition that started it all is still going strong.
That includes the family recipe for success.
"I was always taught you give what you get. As long as you give respect, people will respect you," Malacari said.
The restaurant is open for dinner Thursday through Saturday, beginning at 4 p.m., and brunch on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It's located on Wilkes-Barre Township Blvd. For more information, visit the restaurant's Facebook page.
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