Lifted by Compassion

Grace World Outreach Church held a fundraiser to benefit the Papa Joe's Employee Relief Fund this afternoon.  The event included fall off the bone, finger licking good, BBQ ribs and smoked chicken dinners as well as tons of donated raffle items.  There was so much love from the volunteers who worked so hard to make this a success.  As a displaced employee of Papa Joe's, it has been an enormous blessing to watch the community embrace us in our time of tragedy.  The prophetic words, "the best is yet to come" were spoken over us throughout the day and set a theme of hopeful faith in my heart.  A huge thank you to everyone who made this event possible and to all the supporters of the cause.  The heart and servant spirit of this great community has been revealed in beautiful character.  I am totally inspired, thankful, and blessed!

Papa Joe's Hardhat Beauties

A few days after the devistating fire, I drove out to the burnt up restaurant just to reflect and process the reality of what had taken place.  As a long time employee, Papa Joe's had become so much more than just a source of income to me.  This was my home, a place where deep bonds were built, where successes were celebrated and broken spirits were lifted.  I stood looking at the ramshackled, scorched restaurant feeling defeated.  As I walked to the back of the building, three of my coworkers came stumbling out of the wrecked building wearing hard hats and boots.  The girls in the picture had entered the rubble in hopes of recovering Papa Joe's original pizza paddle which was never found.  However, they did have some random items like a few loose pieces of silverware and a pan that was totally black from fire and smoke.  The sight of this trio in cowboy boots, covered with soot and proudly announcing the recovered (yet almost worthless) items they rescued replaced my broken spirit with laughter. I love these girls!

Name Your Favorite Dish

Those of you who know Papa Joe's know that the menu offerings were plentiful!  With five pages full of dinner options, it's amazing how many of our regular customers consistently ordered the same entree, every time...for years!  Papa Joe's signature dishes included Chicken Soprano and Seafood Jambalaya, both tantalizing!  And of course his famous meatballs and authentic Italian cheesecake were hands down THE BEST around.  Tell us your pick for the most mouthwatering dish at the restaurant.  We want to know from you what absolutely, positively, must be on the menu when we reopen.  

Papa Joe's Catering

Papa Joe's is still open for catering and party pans!  From small house parties to formal weddings, Papa Joe's is your ace in the hole for your catering needs.  Our venues include a beautiful garden courtyard and an enormous banquet room complete with an atrium and bar.  Contact Papa Joe to schedule your personal tasting!  (352)799-3904

Calling Creativity

Papa Joe is pressing forward towards a new and improved restaurant!  On the existing slab, with sidewalk chalk in hand, Joe's team met with the architect to discuss ideas for the new building. Creativity and interesting features are a given for this project!  Topics of discussion included an outdoor pergola, a bar area, exposed rafters, and fountain features.  You, Papa Joe's followers, are the center of interest for the entire endeavor.  What do you envision for your new restaurant?  Please share your thoughts with us, we would love to hear them!

A Wedding with Papa Joe's

Over the weekend we had the pleasure of catering a sweet wedding.  The event was held at Dade City's Garden Club with the ceremony outside under grandfather oaks and blossoming camellias and reception to follow inside the quaint, historic venue.  The weather was perfect and almost as beautiful as the bride.  With around 70 on the guest list, the marriage celebration was intimate and comfortable. Connie from "A Special Occasion" did a brilliant job of designing and setting the tables, she always gets it just right!  Cocktail hour took place on the manicured lawn where Papa Joe's bartender served the crowds favorites, chilled moscato and ice cold beer.  Mouth-watering appetizers like duxelle stuffed mushrooms and mediterranean bruschetta were showcased on ornate silver platters and crystal dishes.  Following the hour of bubbly, tapas, and mingling, the party moved inside for dinner and dancing.  Muted yellow satin sashes and long stemmed roses set a cheerful, romantic ambiance.  Dinner was served buffet style where Papa Joe's culinary masterpieces were the subject of rave reviews from the crowd.  Penne alla vodka, haricot vert, and chicken soprano were among the scrumptious lineup. Wedding and special event catering is a specialty of Papa Joe's!  Uncompromising quality, exceptional service, and attention to detail make Papa Joe's catering a win every time.

Guess why Papa Joe is grinning from ear to ear.

Todays UPS delivery to Papa Joe's temporary kitchen was like Christmas morning for a kid.  Joe, and his longtime chef, Ryan ripped into the box with childlike anticipation and immediately put it together and tried it out.  Can you guess what was in the box?  

A few hints:  They have been cooking full catering menus for up to 200 people with the most basic of kitchen tools.  (Imagine peeling a pound if garlic cloves by hand.) The tool allows for a certain prep task to take minutes, compared to hours when done by hand.  It's not an automatic vegetable peeler, although someone should invent one of those.  

Is it a:

Food processor

Pasta press

Cheese shredder

Or commercial can opener

WHO CAN GUESS IT?

Answer:

Yep... It's the cheese shredder that got these boys so excited today.  A man and his toys!

Cast Your Design Vote!

Demolition of the old Papa Joe's is complete.  Now the excitement of designing a brand new building has begun.  We want to know what you would like to see in the design of the new Papa Joe's.  Cast your vote today.  To vote, scroll to the bottom of this blog page and click on "view in web version", on the top left choose a design theme and click "vote".  Share with friends, as we would like to hear from all our Papa Joe's fans!

Secret Recipe Reveal

 From the first days of opening the restaurant Joe, Donna, and Mommy (joe's mother) began writing their signature recipes on index cards and filing them in a roledex. Many hand written by mommy, Joe kept them locked in the vault next to the cash.  Everything was made from scratch in small batches, so the exact recipe had to be followed for consistency.  As the restaurant went up in flames, almost everything was destroyed however, the recipes were not a casualty.  Firefighters retreived the vault after the fire to find most of the contents ruined, yet the recipes survived with little more than singed edges. 

Papa Joe's youngest son, Giovanni, grew up in the family's restaurant.  It was an ordinary day in the kitchen when Giovanni asked his dad to make him lunch.  Joe was busy prepping for the day so he grabbed a few ingredients that were on hand and threw them together.  Unbeknownst to him, he had just created a dish that would stamp his menu for years to come.  Little Giovanni's impromptu lunch became "Chicken Gio" and has been on the menu ever since.  For a culinary treat, try this at home.

The secret recipe reveal:

Chicken Gio

In a skillet heat olive oil, sautée chopped onions and fresh chopped garlic. Add chicken breast (cut into chunks)and fresh rosemary.  Add a little chopped tomato and calamata olives. Sautée until chicken is cooked through, then add penne pasta to the skillet and toss to combine. Finish with grated pecorino cheese.  Enjoy!

A culinary delight, "Justa For You".

Chef's Art

To be a chef is to be an artist.  The plate as the canvas, ingredients the palate, and you...the audience.  As with all art, it's influenced by the experiences of the artist, it tells a story.  Joe grew up in the mountains of Italy, immigrated to New York and then married a southern girl from Alabama. His mothers heirloom recipes influence his authentic Italian style in the restaurant.  For catering, the fusion of Italian, southern and northern techniques bring mouth watering masterpieces.  The culinary creation in the photo is Papa Joe's tenderloin crostini made with leek and shiitake mushrooms and herb crusted tenderloin steak.  Art never tasted so good!

Dear Brooksville, Your The Best!

A huge "thank you" to our amazing community!  Because of your support, the Papa Joe's Spaghetti Fundraiser was a great success this past Sunday. The event was hosted by our friends at Hillside Community Church and they did an upstanding job.  When I arrived, I was greeted with hugs and smiling faces from the hard working volunteers that worked the fund raiser.  For as long as I can remember, every Wednesday at the restaurant there was a standing order for pizzas that Papa Joe donated to the youth group at Hillside Community Church.  This event is proof positive of the evidence of good seed sewn into the community. The great people of the church ran with the opportunity to reach out to us in our time of need and our hearts have been touched by their support.  Car by car, some of our most loyal customers pulled in to give to the cause and to satisfy their taste buds cry for Papa Joe's food.  Joe used his temporary kitchen to make up the spaghetti and his signature, hand-rolled meatballs.  For the displaced employees, the meal tasted like home.  It was so satisfying to see the familiar faces of our beloved regular customers, our friends.  Brooksville, you are the best!

Chef Papa Joe

Papa Joe expanded his restaurant to include continental catering years ago.  He began small and has successfully grown into a full service operation with a reputation that proceeds him. He's composed diverse menus and recipes such as Hawaiian, Latino,Indian, Mexican, and Bar-b-que.  Catering presents an opportunity for culinary creativity in recipe and presentation.  Joe, along with Jeannie and Giovanni, has embraced the art of catering and honed this segment of the trade toward superiority in our tri-county area.  Catering is like an away game.  Its an imprivisation of making all the elements of the restaurant mobile and functioning just right and on time. The photo above is Papa Joe preparing one of his signature dishes that has received rave reviews, sun-dried tomato mango chicken.  The catering side of Papa Joe's is keeping us afloat while our restaurant is out of commission.  Now, more than ever, it would be our pleasure to cater to your event needs.  For info (352)799-3904