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MY
ROUSES
EVERYDAY
SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2016
the
Italian
issue
P
ulling into theparking lot of Impastato’s
Restaurant in Metairie, tucked behind
the Morning Call Coffee Shop just
off 17th Street and Severn, the first thing
that stands out are two oversized black and
gold fleur-de-lis, the same design the New
Orleans Saints have emblazoned on their
helmets. And posted on the door are 8½ by
11-inch sheets of business paper advertising
the team’s three road game trips for which
the restaurant’s chef/owner, Joe Impastato, is
organizing again this coming NFL season,
much like he has for years.
To say the guy, affectionately known as
“Joey,” is a fan of the team is like saying
Drew Brees is a great quarterback. It is one
of Impastato’s undeniable passions, joined
by his passion for people, his family and
his Italian heritage. And he knew little of
football when he first came to America.
Sicilians have been arriving in New Orleans
in significant numbers since the 1830s.
Such was the case in 1956 when an 18-
year old Impastato arrived, sponsored by
a relative by the same name and from the
same village town in Sicily, whose family
until recently owned and managed the
legendary Napoleon House on Chartres
Street in the French Quarter.
“Those first 90 days were hard,” recalls
Impastato. “I really missed home and my
family.” He took on jobs where he could,
eventually going to work at Napoleon
House, living upstairs for years. In 1960,
he went back to his native Sicily, returning
with his brother Sal in tow. Later, he went
to work at the original La Louisiane, where
he lasted for 19 years, eventually working
his way to maitre d’. He would later go to
work at the legendary Tommy Moran’s in
that same capacity.
In his role as maitre d’, he met and
befriended quite a collection of noted New
Orleanians of the day, among them John
Mecom, Sr., who made a fortune in the
oil industry, and his son, John Mecom, Jr.
When New Orleans was awarded its NFL
franchise in 1966, the first majority owner
of the team was Mecom Jr., who at the age
of 26 was an avid sports fan.
“I grew up with soccer, but I was so excited
when I heard Mr. Mecom had purchased a
football team,” recalls Impastato. “I bought
two of the first season tickets to go on
sale, and I was in Tulane Stadium when
John Gilliam took the opening kickoff in
the team’s first game and ran it back for a
touchdown. I was hooked, and I’ve been
involved ever since.”
There is a twinkle in his eye as he remembers
that game, sitting in the office of his own
Metairie restaurant, opened in April 1979
when the area known as “Fat City”was in its
heyday. His office walls, shelves and nearly
every inch of flat surface are filled with Saints
and sports memorabilia. It is only at hint at
what is included in the restaurant’s décor.
Our conversation is interrupted by a
deliveryman who is waiting for Impastato to
sign an
invoice.Hedoesn’t mind the wait as he
peruses the array of photographs of legendary
sports figures that decorate the office walls.
The
Supper Bowl
by
Mary Beth Romig +
photos by
Frank Aymami