This is the first article printed about our restaurant in the Troy Record, November 6, 1994 by Jeanne Tanner 

We opened that week 'It's Gonna work this time' A North Greenbush site has hosted four failed restaurants in eight years. The Moscatiello Family, however is not discouraged.

Looking at the Moscatiello family today it is hard to believe they came, to Troy almost 40 years ago with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a strong Italian work ethic. While the family was traveling from Naples to New York City in 1956, their ship the S.S. Andrea Doria sank 45 miles off Nantucket and the family lost all of their worldly possessions.

 (The father Michael's story about the Andrea Doria)

Resilience is a beautiful thing; Tuesday the family opens Moscatiello's Italian Family Restaurant, the family's second business Their first family business; Maria's Sewing Center on 405 Second St. in Troy, was opened 16 years ago. "When I opened it, made fun of me and said, nobody is going to come," said Maria

But she was determined. She worked hard. Her whole family worked hard. And the customers came and came back. With that With that work ethic and determination, the family hopes to make the restaurant a success. It took the family about a year to find the right place -- the former Timothy's Restaurant at 99 North Greenbush Road in Troy. Although there have been four restaurants on the site in about eight years the family is determined.

This time it's going to work" said Maria. "It's the reason we put up our money, I trust my son. We have been working 30 years for this," she added. The idea for the restaurant came from Maria and Michael Moscatiello's only son, Mike. After graduation from SUNY Albany with a business degree, Mike went to California to look for a job. He ended up working in his cousin's restaurants doing everything from managing to washing dishes and cooking pizza.

About a year latter he came back to Troy with a wife named Audra and a plan to open up a family business. In the Moscatiello family, business is a family effort where everyone works hard. You need only to look around to see the evidence of the family's hard work. All the red checked table cloths, the red checked curtains and the aprons for the restaurant were made by Maria. The bar stools were reupholstered by Maria's father Luigi Battullo, Michael and Mike will be managing the restaurant.

Now that Maria will be helping out in the restaurant making the sauces, sausages, meatballs and breads, she will have less time to put in her sewing center. She says that she will hand over more of the responsibility to her three daughters who work there: Angela, Rita, and Anna. Her 85-year-old mother-in-law, Virginia Moscatiello, will continue coming in to work like she has nearly every day in the last 16 years.

"In Italy you learn hard work. That's the way it is," said Maria.

Since this article, we have built the best Italian family restaurant in the New York State Capital District. Michael (the son) now has two children; a son, another Michael and a daughter Serina. They have bought a house and reside in North Greenbush, New York - the location of the restaurant.