Dundarave will miss
the Verdicchio veal

IT WAS reported in this newspaper that Joe Verdicchio
and his “silent partner’ had sold their West Vancouver
institution, Peppi’s, at Dundarave Pier.

This created the intriguing im-
agery of some Marion Brando
mafia figure lurking behind the
scenes.

If you were at the wrong table
at any time during the past 27
years, there were moments when
you would indeed wish that
brother Alfredo was more silent.

Invariably, he’d be downstairs
preparing the veal for the piccata,
saltimbocca and similar dishes. As
he pounded the cutlets flat, it
sometimes seemed as if a carpen-
try competition was going on
down below.

Alfredo has likely prepared two
million cutlets and many more
cannelloni dishes in his lonely
basement shop.

The mind boggles at the
numbers of people he and his
kitchen staff have fed. With veal
alone, he’d carve and prepare be-
tween three and five legs per week
— up to 750 individual servings.

The legions of friends have
never been in doubt about the
special partnership, friendship and
dedication of these brothers in
business: Joe in front and Alfredo
in the back.

With their life savings at risk,
they raised a downpayment to buy
the business known as St. Mawes
by the Sea and to lease the Dun-
darave house from West Van-
couver,

They served their first customer
Jan. 10, 1964. They ceased to own
Peppi’s on Easter Sunday 1991.
Joe and Alfredo had forged a
phenomenal success story for their
entire family,

So many Verdicchios have
played a vital role in the character
and the development of Peppi’s,
and through it the culture of West
Vancouver, they should have
published a program.

They grew up in a Neapolitan
family of seven boys and three
girls.

Joe, the second youngest, was
invariably the pioneer. His adven-
tures took him to Ottawa in 1953,
followed shortly thereafter by the
youngest of the family — Franco
— in 1955.

Alfredo and their mother came
next (Father died in 1953).

Mama shuttled back and forth
between Naples and Canada be-
fore finally settling in Vancouver
after Peppi’s was established.

Until her death at the age of 94
in 1984, she would regularly be
seen at the restaurant holding
court with three generations of
Verdicchios.

Despite 30 years in this country,
she never learned to speak
English, but, Joe said, ‘‘She could
understand every word on the TV
.. I'd hear her shout ... ‘get him!’
... ‘kill him!’ and so on at the bad
guys.””

Joe was the first to head west,
originally to Jasper Park Lodge
and then the Derrick Club in Ed-
monton, but Alfredo and Franco
soon followed. By 1961, other
family members had immigrated
to Canada.

And then Joe and Alfredo set
up shop in West Vancouver.

From day one, between the ex-
igencies of motherhood events,
Joe’s Montreal-born wife Anna
has been the personification of
Peppi’s style, hostess, maitre d’
and reservations director.

Brother Mario has been a fix-
ture on the floor.

Until his death, the oldest
brother Gino worked in the
business.

Franco has had his own restau-
rants over the years, but he has
been back at Peppi’s as chief chef

Gary
Bannerman

OPEN LINES

for the past three years and at this
writing he was considering staying
on with the new owners to main-
tain continuity.

Another brother — Jimmy —
made a multi-year contribution.

Not too complicated so far?
Well, if you meet an elegant look-
ing white haired gentleman, it’s
probably Umberto (brother-in-
law).

And if you heard recently that
there is another Mrs. Verdicchic
around these days, it’s not a new
face. Sharon, Peppi’s most out-
standing waitress over many years,
was married this year to Franco.

This courtship went on for
some time. In fact, archeologists
took less time to find
Tutankhamen’s treasure than it
took Franco to find a wedding
ring.

You might see two fine-looking
women surveying the realm with a
maternal eye. These would be
Menrna and Maria, Verdicchio
sisters, of course.

One is married to Umberto. The
other is married to Eric, a
Welshman. Just when you think
you've got it straight, well-traveli-
ed sister Tina and husband will
arrive from Naples en route to
Hawaii.

In recent times, looking like the
kind of sharp young Italian
mothers are wary about, nephew
Roberto (Gino’s son) has been
gaining confidence as Joe’s alter
ego; at least when the boss wasn’t
looking...

West Vancouver politicians
jearned a harsh lesson in 1976. In
their quiet little backwater that big
city press had consistently ig-
nored, they were shocked to be
the target of full scale media war-
fare.

Some foolish official threatened
to put Peppi’s on the auction
block at the renewal date of the
Verdicchio lease.

When Ed Keate was advised of
this, he started a campaign in the
North Shore press and it soon ex-
ploded city wide.

Jack Wasserman, in a blistering
attack, referred to ‘‘West Van-
couver’s sorry handling of the
Peppi’s Restaurant situation,”
and, on CKNW, the late Earle
Bradford added: ‘‘The entire thing
is one sorry mess and how the
powers that be expect anyone to
improve matters there is a puz-
zle.””

Earle went on to rave about the
restaurant.

West Vancouver Council climb-
ed into a figurative bomb shelter
and we never heard a peep out of
them for years after.

In fact, it is the same leas - in-
security that finally forced Jue
and Alfredo to sell.

They were told that the lease
will be auctioned again in 1994.
Their life’s work would be wor-
thless at that point and their per-
sonal family planning had to con-
sider retirement in the future with
hopefully some realization on the
asset value of their considerable
business.

They have sold the restaurant to
one of the most talented people |
have ever met in the hospitality
industry, former convention centre
manager and Expo vice-president
Klaus Fuerniss. Fuerniss and two
business partners have exciting
plans.

But £ felt that a little piece of
me died on Easter Sunday. This
delightful Verdicchio atmosphere
was coming to an end. We are
among thousands for whom Pep-
pi’s has represented anniversaries,
birthdays, family gatherings,
awestruck visitors (at the water
view) and just a place where
weary travellers can rest.

The location is magic. Others
can prepare good food. But the
ambience is Verdicchio. And that
is no more.

BRENDEN SHERWIN
SALES MGR.

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