Family, friends, and neighbors gathered to mourn Onofrio Gaudioso at Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen Church on September 9. Born in 1941, Gaudioso was remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, and a true gentleman.
Gaudioso and his brother-in-law John Teutonico became the owners of House of Pizza and Calzone 132 Union St. in 1963.
“We are here not because Onofrio died but because he lived,” said Monsignor Guy Massie. “He created a family and relationships.
“I don’t believe in coincidences and we’re doing this the day after a celebration that Onofrio was a part of and loved.”
The Procession for Maria SS. Addolorata through Carroll Gardens took place on September 8. “As we walk where Saint Mother Cabrini once ministered, we honor the immigrant stories that have shaped our community,” said an excerpt from the church about the celebration.
Gaudioso’s granddaughter, Victoria Teutonico gave a touching speech.
“Our Nonno was a man who touched each of our lives in a unique and lasting way,” she said. “To many of you, he was a Union Street legend, a loyal friend, a caring uncle, a devoted father, a loving brother, and most of all an endearing husband.
“But to us, he was the absolutely best Nonno: letting us make a mess in the kitchen making calzones and pizza, taking us to the candy store down the block, showing us how to garden, bringing us to the park, convincing us to try the most outrageous food, letting us prank him and being the best sport about it, giving us massages, giving us the craziest remedies of injuries: if you have a burn, rub a banana peel on it or the universal cure of eating a lemon.”
Gaudioso immigrated from Mola Di Bari, Italy, and worked at the pizza place on Union St., which was then called Simone’s. He and John Teutonico purchased the pizza place in 1963 and changed the name. The spot became known for its fried calzone.
The calzone originated from the Apuglia region on the eastern coast in southern Italy where the two boys hailed from. Traditionally fried and stuffed with cheeses and meats, the calzone was a perfect complement at the time to the still relatively new food concept called pizza. Both items possessed the characteristics necessary for the working class folk who lived and worked in the area; minimal prep time, portability, and most importantly, it was relatively inexpensive. There have been many elderly customers who continuously remind me that they used to get pizza here for only $0.10 a slice! And calzones were only a quarter! says the House of Pizza website.
A great job
Paul Diagostino and Gino Vitale took over as owners of House of Pizza and Calzone in 2004 and said that the brothers stayed in touch and would stop by, especially right after the sale.
“They did a great job,” Diagostino said. “They maintained a very viable business for over 50 years with just three main items which were pizza, calzone, and zeppole.
“When I was starting out they noticed that I was taking notes on how they prepared the sauce, the dough, and the cheese. Onofrio asked what I was writing down and when I told him he asked ‘Do you want to do what we do?’ I said ‘Yes, it’s worked for you for 50 years and I’d be crazy to change it.’
“From then on, Onofrio and the other owner John really took me by the hand and helped me. I think before that, they figured the new guy was going to come in and do whatever he wanted. At the very beginning, I just wanted to continue the tradition of what they did for all those decades.”
Diagostino believes that people in the neighborhood appreciate that House of Pizza and Calzone has kept that tradition going and they are also grateful for the work of Gaudioso and Teutonico.
“Onofrio was a true gentleman,” Diagostino said. “That’s what everyone who comes in here says. People loved him around here.”
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I’m sorry to hear he passed. To this day when I would go there I would ask about him. I remember the old skinny Italian guy vividly. He was no nonsense, not rude but definitely tough as nails. I was much younger and to be honest although I was a lot bigger than he was I felt kind of intimidated by him, like I wanted to make sure to get my order right and not piss him off. When I first moved here 30 years ago there were very few storefronts left, so the dining options were very limited. Someone from the area told me I had to try the fried calzones from the place on Union St. I was definitely intrigued, I had never heard of a fried calzone before. The day I had the first one I fell in love with those fried calzones. I never ate a regular calzone again. I remember at the time the fried calzones were $2.50 and they were massive, filled with ricotta, mozzarella and ham, except on Fridays when they left out the ham. Just thinking about it makes me want to go get one now.
RIP Onofrio Gaudioso, a Columbia Waterfront District legend.