2 — Friday, July 23, 1999 — North Shore New:.

Loss of Penpi’s c

Katharine Hamer
Contributing Writer
FOR those with fond
memories of ocean-view
dining at Peppi’s
restaurant in
Dundarave, Joseph
Verdicchio will be sore-
ly missed.

‘The restaurateur, whe with

his brother Alfredo ran one of

West Vancouser’s most
famous fandmarks beiween
1964 1997. passed away
unexpectediy on July 8.

Verdicchio was born on
Jan. 15, 1929, in Nap
He came to Canada af
war to work in the restaurant
business, along with his
brothers — Alfredo, France,
Enzo, Mario, Gino, and
Salvatore — and sisters Mena,
Maria, and ‘Tina.

Verdicchio arrived in
Vancouver at around the same
time as fellow expatriates
Umberto Menghi and Park
Royal Horel’s Mario Corsi.

“They were all triends,”
said Joseph’s nephew Robert,
owner of Verdicchio’s De li
and Trattoria’ in West
Vancouver. “There weren't
that many restaurants around
in the ‘60s and ‘70s, su any-

PEPPt’s brothers
Joseph (left) and
Alfredo Verdicchio.

one in the business knew each
other and had respect for cach
other. It’s not like now, when
they're all trying to "outdo
each other.”

Corsi describes Joseph as
being “not only a gentleman,
but the grandfather of Italian
restaurants on the North
Shore.

“Before, peaple always
perceived Italian food as a bit
of pizza and pasta with some
brown tomato and meat sauce
with an indescribable taste.
He changed that. Half of West
Vancouver grew up with
Peppi’s.”

Corsi, who is from Rome,
remembers the jocular rivai-
ties he used to have with
Joseph over their native cities’
respective soccer tcams.

“t looked to him not just
as a great friend, but as an
inspiration,” said Corsi. “He
was a very classy guy. He was
always helpful and hos-
pitable.”

Joseph and Alfredo — who
died four months ago —
“spent their lives at Peppi’s,”
said Robert Verdicchio. “T! hey
were there every day for 27
years. It’s just the way it was
back then — they sacrificed
their family lives for the

restaurant.”

The Verdicchios were a
close-knit family, and accord-
ing to Verdicchio’s nephew
Joseph was its lynchpin.

“In a sense, he was the
nucleus of the family,” Robert
Verd said. “His brothers
and sisters always looked ro
him. Every year he had a

Chrisumas party for ous at
Peppy Now one’s mor here,
there’s a shitting of the
dynamic — someone else has
to step in, and theyre big
shoes to fil”

Robert's own father died
when he was 10, and it was his
tind Joe whe wok ch
then, becomiag godfather to
his nephew. “He became very

and in
Robert

important ino my dite,
mvoomother’s ite,”
said.

Verdicchio had three
daughters — Maria, Lisa, and
Lynne -- the product of a
marnage lasting 39 years. His
wite Anne said she’s “amazed
by the number of cards we've
had trom so many customers
aud people who worked for us

“owner lal

over the years,

“We saw families grow up
They came in as children with
their parents, and then they
came back to work for us

ry Were at school and

ran Peppi’s like a .am-
ily,” said Robert. “He didn’t
see people as his clients. They
were his friends.”

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“Some people looked
down their noses at Joe and
Alfredo, because of the old-
fashioned way they ran
things,” said Anne, who met
her husband while both were
working summers at Jasper
Park Lodge. “But tt was a
good fe There aren't
many places like that these

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Joseph’s death came as a
hig shock to the Verdicch!
“Only a month ago, he was
driving his brothers and sisters
around, coming into the deli
for a sandwich and a glass of
wine,” Robert said. “I keep
waiting for him to come in the
door. The family is just
ing with che loss, res
he’s actually gone.”

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