Put an extra plate out...

Joseph Bernardo first opened Peppino’s (2343 Queen Street East) in September 1995 because he had a passion for food. He inherited that passion from his mother back in Italy, who always put out an extra plate on the table just in case someone else came by for dinner. Joseph’s Italian name is Giuseppe, but everyone called him Peppino as a sign of affection, which is how the restaurant got its name.

Not much has changed since Joseph’s son Frank took over the restaurant… except that there are 30 extra plates out instead of just one. Peppino’s has always been a family affair, and Frank inherited his love of cooking from his father. Even when Frank was working at the bank during the day, he was spending his nights tending bar and doing administrative work at the restaurant with the rest of the Bernardo family. Frank eventually took over the family business in May 2003 when Joseph retired from running Peppino’s.

Although Peppino’s focus is Italian cuisine, Frank was interested in adding some new dishes to the menu. One of his customers raved about his experience in northern Canada, which included eating musk ox for the first time. That led Frank to add game meats to the menu in September 2004, including musk ox, and they have since become Peppino’s signature dishes during the last week of each month.

Peppino’s will be celebrating its 10th anniversary on September 23, 2005. Frank is looking forward to the next 10 years of putting out one more plate for his extended family in the Beaches.

By David Gargaro

David Gargaro is a Consulting Editor who provides writing, editing and content consulting services. Contact him through his website at www.davidgargaro.com.