Gaspare and Jill Cucinella seemed destined for the restaurant business almost from the beginning. The son of immigrants, Gaspare grew up working at his parents’ restaurant in Robinson, making pizza from the age of 14 while learning English as a second language from the locals.
The two met when Jill worked as a server at his uncle’s restaurant. They eventually opened their own restaurant, Joe’s Italian Foods & Pizza, on March 31, 1998, and were married just two short months later. The restaurant name is an ode to his father, Giuseppe, which translates to Joseph or Joe in English.
Twenty-six years since, the restaurant has become a downtown staple in the small rural farming community of Newton, population 2,685.
“We pride ourselves on using the same ingredients and consistently using quality ingredients,” Gaspare says.
See more: Local Flavor: Nucci’s Pasta House
If You Go ...
Joe’s Italian Foods & Pizza
Location: 113 S. Jackson St., Newton
Hours: Tuesdays through Fridays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m.; Saturdays 4 to 8 p.m.; Sundays 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; closed Mondays
Phone: (618) 783-5637
Website: joesitalianfoodsnewton.com
It appears to be working, as the restaurant plays host to some of the same customers two to three times per week with a mix of daily clientele ranging from families with young kids to businesspeople in suits.
The consistency, along with the quality ingredients, keeps folks coming back for more. Tortellini rosa, one of their signature dishes, features meat tortellini covered in a mixture of their red meat sauce and creamy alfredo. Alfredo is one of the items they’re known for as well.
“We sell so much alfredo here, I can’t even wrap my head around it,” Gaspare says.
However, he says his personal favorite item on the menu will always be the pizza. The Cucinellas have worked as chefs since day one.
“She primarily does most of the pasta,” Gaspare says. “We have pizza makers, and I float between the pizza and pasta and man the oven.”
Their three children, ages 23, 20 and 15, are all involved in some way with the business. The Cucinellas also now employ the children of some of their first employees, who were just kids themselves at the time.
“I’ve known some of these kids since birth,” Gaspare says.
The Cucinellas hope to be around for many more generations, serving up the same delicious Italian food in Illinois.
“We’re nothing fancy,” he says humbly. “Just a good, clean Italian restaurant with fair prices, good food and a family atmosphere.”
So good to see my hometown in the magazine! Congratulations to all !!! I grew up on a farm in Jasper County.