Page 49 of Lorenzo

“I love it! I can see the personalities of these chefs in their expressive eyes. But who’s that man in the big black-and-white photo on that wall there?”

I point toward a large framed portrait hung on its own wall.

“Salvatore Ricci. Dante and Lorenzo’s great-great-grandfather.”

“I like his face,” I say, walking closer.

The sketch looks a bit aged beneath the glass. But oddly, the man himself looks vibrant and bursting with life.

As if it takes just a sprinkle of fairy dust to make him burst out of his frame.

Looking at him up close, I notice that Salvatore’s expression is sharp. His eyes seem to look directly into mine, as if questioning why I’m looking at him so closely.

And he looks eerily familiar.

“Is it my imagination, or does Lorenzo look just like his ancestor?”

“Not your imagination. Dante and I always tease Lorenzo about it. And legend says that Salvatore was a charmer in his time. Just like Lorenzo.”

“What was his profession?”

“He was a bootlegger and a gunrunner. But even so, the Museum of the City of New York saw fit to honor him as one of the city’s founders.”

“You’re serious?”

Gina nods. “Well, I’m sure some payola went on to get him honored in such a way. But he’s a notable figure, for sure.”

“Only in Manhattan,” I say. “But anyway, I love that face. You should use him in restaurant marketing.”

Gina’s eyes widen. “You think so? Why?”

“Restaurants need a strong brand. Especially in today’s competitive environment.”

I gesture toward Salvatore’s portrait. “Something like him. A face that people remember.”

“You seem to know a lot about it,” Gina says, tilting her head.

“I majored in restaurant management at Boston University.” I turn back toward Gina’s mural, running my eye along her row of caricatured chefs.

“Three years of my professors drilling it into us.”

Gina lets out a short laugh. “Professors and textbooks will do that to you.”

“Yeah, but in my case, it wasn’t all textbooks. My family was in the restaurant business.”

“What restaurant?”

“Have you ever heard of the Fisher House? Dates back to 1899. It was located near the Boston Common.”

“Sounds familiar. But maybe I’m mixing it up with those Fisher House rolls I always see advertised.”

“It was our rolls that made our family’s restaurant famous. This goes way back before technology. When other rolls were hard inside and out. Fisher House rolls were moist and buttery.”

“Wow. I had no idea I had a celebrity for a sister-in-law.”

“The fame didn’t last that long,” I say. “But thanks for the flattery.”

“I’m impressed that your family were culinary pioneers. Did you have a patent? You must be so wealthy …”