Pat's Delicatessen was located on the
corner of Sandford Avenue and Silver Street. It was formerly called
Martin's Delicatessen. Martin sold it to Pat around 1949. Pat was
an Assistant Manager for A&P prior to buying the Deli.
Pat was a very friendly man and one of his famous sayings was
"son of a sea -cook ". To myself and the twenty other
guys I hung out with he was like an older brother. Pat allowed us
to use his back room as a clubhouse. Because of his generosity many
of us stayed out of trouble. As a matter of fact thanks to him all
of us did.
His store was an integral part of Vailsburg. Pat's Deli was very
important as were all the delicatessens back in the 1950's. This
was prior to the convenience stores ( 7 Eleven ,Wa Wa ). In the
evening and on Sunday there were no supermarkets open. Most stores
were closed especially on Sunday, But Pat's was open!
I was just looking at the Origin of Illustrious Men by Mark Twain.
In it he refers to Henry Jones as the "son of a sea-cook."
He also refers to Ed Jones as a "son of a gun." I never
knew the origin of those sayings until now.
Pat Mauriello passed away last Spring. He was around 90 years
of age. I and many others owe a great deal to Pat. I hope he realized
our silent appreciation.
Thanks Pat !
I can just see him looking down at us with a big smile. And saying
"son of sea -cook".
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