1 A degree in civil engineering is not the most obvious route into the restaurant business. Did engineering teach you to see a restaurant as a series of interconnected systems — or does the chaos of a dinner rush defy anything that orderly?
Casagrande: First off, I must respond that O’Sullivan’s Italian Pub is not a restaurant but a gathering place of loyal friends who come for companionship and camaraderie. We just happen to serve great pizza and excellent homemade Italian specialties.
For the chaos of serving a rush or when people have a short lunch period, we turn to our skills from rugby and racing cars where controlled chaos is the norm.
2 Your mother’s sauce recipe seems to be guarded as tightly as anything in a CIA blast-proof vault. What can you tell us without forcing anyone in the family into witness protection? And what are people missing if they haven’t been to spaghetti night?
Casagrande: All I can tell you about the making of our family pasta sauce is we use only the finest ingredients and seasonings, no sugar, long preparation, and making sure when we are putting it all together, anyone involved in the process most take the oath of Omerta.
If you have not tried our Italian specialties, you are missing out on our family’s 100 years of the love of cooking.
3You recently completed your latest term on Fort Wayne’s Board of Public Safety. What did your years working with the police and fire departments teach you about Fort Wayne that you didn’t know before your term? Casagrande: Being at one time, serving on both the Board of Public Safety and the Fire Merit Commission, what I most realized was the time and commitment that each member is willing to put forth to complete the obligation to being knowledgeable to the rules and regulations of each entity. Getting to understand what it takes to be a great officer and a firefighter can, at times, be overwhelming. It is more than a job; it is a calling to do your job with honor, integrity, knowledge and compassion. They see, each and every day, our citizens having their worst day and then try not to bring that grief home to their families.
4 What separates a good restaurant from one that people make part of their lives?
Casagrande: What makes O’s first and foremost is the people who work there every day. They consist of some young blood that just got drafted to the team to those who have been with us 10 to 45 years.
Consistency, fairness, accountability, and love of what we do keeps the doors open.
5 After everything you have learned, what still excites you about the restaurant business — and what do you still want to build?
Casagrande: Our neighborhood is vibrant and growing. We are an urban corridor drawing in new businesses constantly. Recently, the city has opened a beautiful roundabout to our west dedicated to Purple Heart recipients.
Two years from now we will celebrate 50 years in business.
When my two original partners and I opened in 1978, we set out to have a small pub like we saw in Great Britain playing rugby in 1977. We wanted a place where people of all backgrounds could raise a glass together.
We are proud we have accomplished that milestone.
Dining and Cooking