Joseph Ciardullo Sr.

Joseph Ciardullo, Sr. was born on July 20, 1939, in the Bronx to Frank and Mary Ciardullo. His sister, Terry was born five years later. They lived on 221st Street in the Bronx surrounded by both sets of grandparents, aunts, uncles and all his cousins.

Joe graduated from Evander Child’s HS in 1957 and joined the Army. After leaving the army in 1958, he went to work for his uncle in the family’s catering hall. He wanted to be a waiter and make good tips, but his uncle made him work in the kitchen. This is where a life long love of cooking and food would begin.

Eight years later, Joe opened his own restaurant in the Bronx, Monty’s Villa. From there, he became head of the kitchen at Fordham University, where he was in charge of preparing up to 7,000 meals a day. He next venture was being a partner in Harris Restaurant Supply in Port Chester, NY. Nine years later his career took another entrepreneurial turn when he launched a trade newspaper, from an office in his garage, for the restaurant industry called Restaurant Exchange News. The paper grew to have 25,000 subscribers in New York alone by the time he sold it 12 years later. Joe then opened up Be A Caterer, where he cooked and packaged meals for people on the go who wanted a delicious meal, but didn’t have time to cook it themselves. Joe then retired to Florida, but wasn’t one to sit around. He loved to build things and one day built a hotdog cart and alas, another business was born. He made hotdog carts and shipped them around the country, all while cooking for 120 neighbors for the neighborhood block parties.

Joe met his wife Rosemary in 1965 and they married in 1967. They had two children, Joseph and Jennifer. They raised the family in New City, NY, where Joe was an active dad always volunteering to coach. He moved to Florida in 1997. Rosemary passed away in 1998. He moved to The Villages, Florida in 2004 with his companion, Ann, where he lived until his death.

Joe was a die hard New York Mets and Jets fan. You always knew not to call when either team was playing.

You never went hungry when Joe was around. He could cook up a meal for 2 or 200 without blinking an eye.

Joe enjoyed spending time with his lifelong friends that he grew up with in the Bronx, from ski trips, camping, apple picking in Vermont, and golf outings. Everyone who met him instantly loved him. He was always there to lend a hand be it family, friends or neighbors.

He is survived by his sister Terry and brother in law Eddie Timpone, his son Joseph and his wife Patty and their two sons Frank and Ryan, his daughter Jennifer and her husband Michael and their children Zachary and Madison and numerous cousins.