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Featured Guest:
Charlie Rao Owner, Pasta Fresca, Mama Rao's Published Date: February 14, 2025 In this episode of Wisdom for Wannabes, host Jackie Morreale speaks with Charlie Rao, owner of Pasta Fresca and Mama Rao’s in Brooklyn, NY, about the intersection of tradition and modernity in running a family business. Charlie shares insights on the importance of community, the role of social media in attracting new customers, and the values passed down through generations. He emphasizes the significance of family, hard work, and the joy of bringing people together through food. The conversation also touches on the challenges of adapting to a changing neighborhood and the responsibility of carrying forward Italian American culture. Listen to/watch the full podcast recording, or read the transcript below: |
Full Interview with Charlie Rao:
"It's not a competition. It's bringing families together. I have a ton of friends who own businesses. We go to their stores, they come here. We collaborate. It's working out."
- Charlie Rao, Pasta Fresca, Mama Rao's (Wisdom for Wannabes episode 39, 12:06)
Great quotes from the interview:
(More great quotes throughout the transcript in blue below.)
- "Pasta Fresca was my first home."
- "It's just how things have to be."
- "Teamwork makes the dream work."
(More great quotes throughout the transcript in blue below.)
Charlie Rao on his Instagram channel, @pastafrescabkny
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Key Takeaways:
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Interview Transcript:
Jackie Morreale (00:00)
Hello and welcome to Wisdom for Wannabes. I am the host, Jackie Morreale.
Today's guest embodies tradition and reinvention. Charlie Rao is part of the family behind Pasta Fresca, a beloved Italian specialty shop and catering hall in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where food, family, and community have been at the center of the table for generations.
Charlie has helped bring this legacy business into the modern era, sharing its story through social media, humor, and heart, while staying deeply rooted in Italian culture and neighborhood values. Follow him at @pastafrescabkny for your daily dose of food and fun.
Today, we'll talk about growing up inside a family business, carrying tradition, and modernizing a business.
Charlie Rao, welcome to Wisdom for Wannabes! Thank you so much for being here.
Charlie Rao (00:49)
Thank you for having me, Jackie. Thank you.
Jackie Morreale (00:51)
Absolutely. Let's jump right into the questions, shall we?
Charlie Rao (00:53)
Go ahead.
Jackie Morreale (00:54)
Okay! For those of us who may be meeting Charlie for the first time, can you please start us off with your full name, where you're from, and what you do?
Charlie Rao (00:58)
My name is Charlie Rao. I own Pasta Fresca and Ravioli Company on 11th Avenue in Brooklyn. This is going to be our 40th year here on the Avenue. Things have changed in the neighborhood. I'm finding that social media has been helping me out a lot, bringing in new faces.
Jackie Morreale (01:14)
Love it, 40 years. Crazy, right? 40 years on 11th Avenue.
Charlie Rao (01:19)
Well, it started with my parents. My parents came over in 1971. They came to America to make a better life for themselves and to start a family. My dad, when he initially came here, started out as a butcher for supermarkets. Then, eventually, he got into his own gig.
He bought a little butcher shop inside a concession supermarket. That didn't go the way he planned because he was in somebody else's house, basically.
So, there was a place down the block that was for sale, a building. There was a macaroni store in it. The guy goes, 'I'll teach you how to make pasta'.
My father had a work ethic that can't be explained. It doesn't matter if you're not feeling well. You're hurt. It's a holiday, it's not a holiday.
You're going to work, and you're going to make it work.
Jackie Morreale (01:58)
It's amazing. Every generation is different, of course, and has its own ups and downs. But what you're talking about, your father's generation, that work ethic, especially immigrants, just work, like you said: night, day, sick, healthy, whether you want to or you don't.
And if you're part of the family, you're going to do it too.
Charlie Rao (02:14)
Oh, yeah. There’s no… I'm going to go... No, you're coming to the store.
Jackie Morreale (02:17)
Well, you've really built it up for this generation as well. You have put your own spin on this amazing business. I love seeing you there in the videos, and you're really at the heart of it, and I love going in to get a sandwich with Charlie Rao, and you also put your own spin on it.
So, what is your passion as the owner of this business?
Charlie Rao (02:35)
My passion, truthfully, is to provide for my family. Put food on the table. Having some fun, enjoying life a little bit. My passion is to live in peace and smile and be happy.
I have a beautiful family, beautiful wife, beautiful children. My parents, God bless, are still with us and they're doing very well and they're happy.
My passion is just to be happy in life. Do what we love doing.
Jackie Morreale (02:58)
Everything you just said is so... Italian culture. It's all about the family. Bringing everybody together. Working hard to get there.
Where are you guys from in Italy, by the way?
Charlie Rao (03:08)
We're Sicilian. My mother comes from a town called Castellamare, and my father comes from a small town called Cerdà. It's really small, it's like 5,000 including the livestock.
Jackie Morreale (03:18)
Love that. So let's talk more about your family business. You grew up surrounded by food, family, and business. What did Pasta Fresca mean to you as a kid?
Charlie Rao (03:28)
Pasta Fresco was my first home. It wasn't my second home, it was my first home.
Working and being with my family all the time was wonderful. It really was. We really enjoyed it. That's about it.
Jackie Morreale (03:39)
That's it! Love it. What's one lesson that you learned from the older generation that still guides how you show up today?
Charlie Rao (03:47)
Get up, get your big boy pants on, and go to work. That's what I was taught. That's what I believe that should be with everybody, honestly.
The world is different now, people working from home. Unfortunately, I can't stay home and work from home.
The lessons that we learned from the older generation are just to get up and go, and never give up.
Jackie Morreale (04:04)
There's some grit there that, I think, everybody needs to learn from. Super important.
So at what point did you realize that this wasn't just your family's business, but part of the community's identity? Because it really is that in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
Charlie Rao (04:17)
Our customers are like our family members. I see them more than I do my own family sometimes, especially during the holidays, like Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving. I'm here on Thanksgiving at three o'clock in the morning, cooking 60 to 70 turkeys for other families.
I feel that feeding them is like feeding my own family.
I take everything very seriously. I make sure that everything is perfect all the time.
My customers are my extended family, period.
Jackie Morreale (04:42)
That's an amazing thing, to be able to provide the food that brings people together, for a holiday like Thanksgiving.
Charlie Rao (04:48)
Exactly.
Jackie Morreale (04:48)
It's so heartfelt. Even just going in as a customer and seeing you doing your thing. You really do treat every customer as extended family.
Charlie Rao (04:57)
100 %. We'll make fun of each other. We'll crack jokes. We try to make it light. The day's going to get by, so we try to keep it going.
Jackie Morreale (05:04)
Exactly. It is an experience to go to Pasta Fresca. It's not just about the food. It's about you guys.
Charlie Rao (05:09)
Thank you. Thank you very much.
Jackie Morreale (05:10)
So, Pasta Fresca, although deeply traditional, you've embraced social media. Your content is so authentic. It's funny. It's human. You're just attracting people from all over, not only New York City. It's a destination. So what is your philosophy about how you show up online?
Charlie Rao (05:28)
I just come into work, and however it flows that day, it flows. Sometimes we have good days, sometimes we have bad days. We have refrigeration that breaks down. We have to deal with something every single day.
With the employees we have, everyone has a different personality.
As a boss, I try to be more like: Work together, because that's my another part of my family.
I love all my employees. I would be nowhere without them. I'm grateful to have good people around me.
I have some people who have been here for a very long time. Some new people. All in all, it's awesome.
Jackie Morreale (06:00)
It's funny because I asked you how you show up online, and you made it about the entire team. The family vibe runs so deep. It is a team effort; you have a lot of people working there. There are all sorts of things.
Like you mentioned, something could break down. You're running a business. Operationally, there's always stuff that's happening. I think maybe that's why what we see on the other side, online, is just so authentic, so funny, so human, because you are, and it is.
Charlie Rao (06:26)
It is what it is. It's just how things have to be. I can never work in the corporate world. I could never live in that world because I don't like to answer to anybody, or have to watch what I say, or be careful. Don't curse and don't do this. You know, this is the longest I've gone without cursing, actually, talking to you!
Jackie Morreale (06:44)
Thank you. I appreciate that!
I actually think you'd be amazing in the corporate world because you are so real, and people naturally gravitate to you and want to help you, and you're a hands-on member of the team. You're not just a boss who's going to tell everybody what to do. You get your hands in there, you're putting the butter in the turkey, you're putting your face out there on social. It's so authentic, it's so family, and that's, I think, part of the secret sauce behind it.
(Continued below)
Hello and welcome to Wisdom for Wannabes. I am the host, Jackie Morreale.
Today's guest embodies tradition and reinvention. Charlie Rao is part of the family behind Pasta Fresca, a beloved Italian specialty shop and catering hall in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where food, family, and community have been at the center of the table for generations.
Charlie has helped bring this legacy business into the modern era, sharing its story through social media, humor, and heart, while staying deeply rooted in Italian culture and neighborhood values. Follow him at @pastafrescabkny for your daily dose of food and fun.
Today, we'll talk about growing up inside a family business, carrying tradition, and modernizing a business.
Charlie Rao, welcome to Wisdom for Wannabes! Thank you so much for being here.
Charlie Rao (00:49)
Thank you for having me, Jackie. Thank you.
Jackie Morreale (00:51)
Absolutely. Let's jump right into the questions, shall we?
Charlie Rao (00:53)
Go ahead.
Jackie Morreale (00:54)
Okay! For those of us who may be meeting Charlie for the first time, can you please start us off with your full name, where you're from, and what you do?
Charlie Rao (00:58)
My name is Charlie Rao. I own Pasta Fresca and Ravioli Company on 11th Avenue in Brooklyn. This is going to be our 40th year here on the Avenue. Things have changed in the neighborhood. I'm finding that social media has been helping me out a lot, bringing in new faces.
Jackie Morreale (01:14)
Love it, 40 years. Crazy, right? 40 years on 11th Avenue.
Charlie Rao (01:19)
Well, it started with my parents. My parents came over in 1971. They came to America to make a better life for themselves and to start a family. My dad, when he initially came here, started out as a butcher for supermarkets. Then, eventually, he got into his own gig.
He bought a little butcher shop inside a concession supermarket. That didn't go the way he planned because he was in somebody else's house, basically.
So, there was a place down the block that was for sale, a building. There was a macaroni store in it. The guy goes, 'I'll teach you how to make pasta'.
My father had a work ethic that can't be explained. It doesn't matter if you're not feeling well. You're hurt. It's a holiday, it's not a holiday.
You're going to work, and you're going to make it work.
Jackie Morreale (01:58)
It's amazing. Every generation is different, of course, and has its own ups and downs. But what you're talking about, your father's generation, that work ethic, especially immigrants, just work, like you said: night, day, sick, healthy, whether you want to or you don't.
And if you're part of the family, you're going to do it too.
Charlie Rao (02:14)
Oh, yeah. There’s no… I'm going to go... No, you're coming to the store.
Jackie Morreale (02:17)
Well, you've really built it up for this generation as well. You have put your own spin on this amazing business. I love seeing you there in the videos, and you're really at the heart of it, and I love going in to get a sandwich with Charlie Rao, and you also put your own spin on it.
So, what is your passion as the owner of this business?
Charlie Rao (02:35)
My passion, truthfully, is to provide for my family. Put food on the table. Having some fun, enjoying life a little bit. My passion is to live in peace and smile and be happy.
I have a beautiful family, beautiful wife, beautiful children. My parents, God bless, are still with us and they're doing very well and they're happy.
My passion is just to be happy in life. Do what we love doing.
Jackie Morreale (02:58)
Everything you just said is so... Italian culture. It's all about the family. Bringing everybody together. Working hard to get there.
Where are you guys from in Italy, by the way?
Charlie Rao (03:08)
We're Sicilian. My mother comes from a town called Castellamare, and my father comes from a small town called Cerdà. It's really small, it's like 5,000 including the livestock.
Jackie Morreale (03:18)
Love that. So let's talk more about your family business. You grew up surrounded by food, family, and business. What did Pasta Fresca mean to you as a kid?
Charlie Rao (03:28)
Pasta Fresco was my first home. It wasn't my second home, it was my first home.
Working and being with my family all the time was wonderful. It really was. We really enjoyed it. That's about it.
Jackie Morreale (03:39)
That's it! Love it. What's one lesson that you learned from the older generation that still guides how you show up today?
Charlie Rao (03:47)
Get up, get your big boy pants on, and go to work. That's what I was taught. That's what I believe that should be with everybody, honestly.
The world is different now, people working from home. Unfortunately, I can't stay home and work from home.
The lessons that we learned from the older generation are just to get up and go, and never give up.
Jackie Morreale (04:04)
There's some grit there that, I think, everybody needs to learn from. Super important.
So at what point did you realize that this wasn't just your family's business, but part of the community's identity? Because it really is that in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
Charlie Rao (04:17)
Our customers are like our family members. I see them more than I do my own family sometimes, especially during the holidays, like Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving. I'm here on Thanksgiving at three o'clock in the morning, cooking 60 to 70 turkeys for other families.
I feel that feeding them is like feeding my own family.
I take everything very seriously. I make sure that everything is perfect all the time.
My customers are my extended family, period.
Jackie Morreale (04:42)
That's an amazing thing, to be able to provide the food that brings people together, for a holiday like Thanksgiving.
Charlie Rao (04:48)
Exactly.
Jackie Morreale (04:48)
It's so heartfelt. Even just going in as a customer and seeing you doing your thing. You really do treat every customer as extended family.
Charlie Rao (04:57)
100 %. We'll make fun of each other. We'll crack jokes. We try to make it light. The day's going to get by, so we try to keep it going.
Jackie Morreale (05:04)
Exactly. It is an experience to go to Pasta Fresca. It's not just about the food. It's about you guys.
Charlie Rao (05:09)
Thank you. Thank you very much.
Jackie Morreale (05:10)
So, Pasta Fresca, although deeply traditional, you've embraced social media. Your content is so authentic. It's funny. It's human. You're just attracting people from all over, not only New York City. It's a destination. So what is your philosophy about how you show up online?
Charlie Rao (05:28)
I just come into work, and however it flows that day, it flows. Sometimes we have good days, sometimes we have bad days. We have refrigeration that breaks down. We have to deal with something every single day.
With the employees we have, everyone has a different personality.
As a boss, I try to be more like: Work together, because that's my another part of my family.
I love all my employees. I would be nowhere without them. I'm grateful to have good people around me.
I have some people who have been here for a very long time. Some new people. All in all, it's awesome.
Jackie Morreale (06:00)
It's funny because I asked you how you show up online, and you made it about the entire team. The family vibe runs so deep. It is a team effort; you have a lot of people working there. There are all sorts of things.
Like you mentioned, something could break down. You're running a business. Operationally, there's always stuff that's happening. I think maybe that's why what we see on the other side, online, is just so authentic, so funny, so human, because you are, and it is.
Charlie Rao (06:26)
It is what it is. It's just how things have to be. I can never work in the corporate world. I could never live in that world because I don't like to answer to anybody, or have to watch what I say, or be careful. Don't curse and don't do this. You know, this is the longest I've gone without cursing, actually, talking to you!
Jackie Morreale (06:44)
Thank you. I appreciate that!
I actually think you'd be amazing in the corporate world because you are so real, and people naturally gravitate to you and want to help you, and you're a hands-on member of the team. You're not just a boss who's going to tell everybody what to do. You get your hands in there, you're putting the butter in the turkey, you're putting your face out there on social. It's so authentic, it's so family, and that's, I think, part of the secret sauce behind it.
(Continued below)
Pasta Fresca in photos:
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(Continued)
Charlie Rao (07:08)
Well, Jackie, honestly, if the boss isn't jumping into the trenches with the workers, how do you expect the workers to work for you?
If you show them, this is what I'm doing, this is what we're doing together. I'm here with you guys. I can't be with you 100% of the day because I have paperwork, I have other things to do, issues to handle.
Like on Thanksgiving, I'm first one here, at three in the morning, cutting turkeys in the back.
Again, team. That's it.
Jackie Morreale (07:35)
We've all had good and bad bosses. There's nothing like seeing your boss be the first one there, be the hardest worker there. Like you said, in the trenches. There's nothing more motivating.
If your boss just tells you to show up at 3 a.m. on this holiday and start cutting turkeys, you're like, 'Okay'... But if you're there next to me doing the same work, literally up to your elbows in food, there's nothing like that kind of motivation. It's a passion, really.
Charlie Rao (08:00)
Best way to do it.
Jackie Morreale (08:02)
Totally agree. So, to continue the online thing. Did you expect social media to become such a powerful extension of your business when you started?
Charlie Rao (08:10)
It's been surreal, actually. We started doing these videos. I started a little bit tougher, like six months ago, when I got back from Italy. A friend of mine helped me out with it, how to start it up.
I have a couple of people that help me with the videos. This person, she does all my videos, all my editing because I'm a boob when it comes to computers.
If you tell me to make you a cheesecake, I'll make you a cheesecake. But if you tell me to record and edit, it's beyond me.
Yes, the internet has helped my business. Slowly, slowly. It's not day thing. People have to start getting to know you, start warming up to you.
Jackie Morreale (08:41)
Yep. Exactly.
Charlie Rao (08:49)
We did invent something that did help a lot.
My sfogliatelle. We saw them in Italy with my family. We came back and made them in America. We made them. We stuffed them with broccoli rabe, we stuffed them with bolognese sauce. We stuffed them with sausage and peppers, then we're doing Philly cheesesteak ones.
For the Super Bowl, we're doing the sfogliatelle with buffalo chicken.
I get yelled at every day by my mom.
Jackie Morreale (09:11)
I was going to say, are your mom and dad okay with the buffalo chicken sfogliatelle?
Charlie Rao (09:14)
No, far from it. She's had some choice words, let's just say…
Jackie Morreale (09:22)
But people love it, right?
Charlie Rao (09:18)
You know what? If they sell, they sell.
Sweetheart, I just did a video with @the_burratababe. She took this sfogliatelle and put it in ranch. I can't wait till it comes out. Can't wait till she puts it up.
Jackie Morreale (09:34)
My gosh, I see your mom with a wooden spoon like, What the …?
Charlie Rao (09:37)
No, no, she's coming at me with the broom.
Jackie Morreale (09:40)
Anyway, I'm so proud of what you're doing. You're inventing food! You're a chef, and you're inventing all these different adaptations of Italian food.
You still go back to Italy every summer, it sounds like?
Charlie Rao (09:53)
No, I haven't. Actually, I went to Italy for the first time this past summer, believe it or not.
Jackie Morreale (10:00)
Good for you. You deserve it! Because then you come back and you have all these ideas! You get to reinvent sfogliatelle and all these amazing ideas and different ways to apply it to our culture, Super Bowl food. You can't even help but innovate.
Charlie Rao (10:15)
Well, because of the neighborhood that I'm in, I had to start working with the internet. I had to start reinventing the wheel, the sole purpose of which was to bring people into the store.
No one comes to 11th avenue anymore. It used to be a huge Italian presence.
The new generation is starting to enjoy the sandwiches. They're starting to enjoy all these things.
Jackie Morreale (10:31)
So, 11th Avenue is different than it used to be. It used to be an Italian American community. Now, you're bringing it back, it sounds like, in a new way, for new cultures, new generation, and you really are this ‘community center’ of food.
Charlie Rao (10:44)
Yeah, and I'm going to start working with some friends that have stores in Brooklyn. We're going to start working together, putting up pages for everyone in Brooklyn, to put up their content so that way everyone shows what they could do.
I'm not looking at it as competition; I'm looking at it more as if we work together, we're stronger. We could go forward and bring people back into the neighborhood.
Jackie Morreale (10:53)
Exactly. Yes.
Charlie Rao (11:07)
I get it, there's shopping online, and Uber Eats and Grub Hub, and all the others.
It drives me crazy because people don't want to leave the house.
Go shop, go find a friend, go see what's going on at the shop.
Go to Faicco's, go to Pasta Fresca, go to Coluccio's.
Go to these places and meet people. Talk.
Jackie Morreale (11:24)
Collaboration is success for you, for everyone, for the community. Find your shop, support your shop. Shop small. Go meet Charlie, and team.
Charlie Rao (11:35)
Go have a conversation with somebody.
Jackie Morreale (11:38)
Exactly. It's an experience every time you go to get a sandwich.
How would I have ever known to stop putting mayo on my mortadella prosciutto sandwich other than you told me I was going to get agita?
Charlie Rao (11:50)
Right, because I was getting agita just making it…
Jackie Morreale (11:56)
It's an experience. Just thinking about it. Exactly!
Let's talk more about Bay Ridge.
You're doing amazing things for Brooklyn. Bay Ridge, within Brooklyn, has such a strong sense of place. How does being rooted in that neighborhood help you shape and run your business?
Charlie Rao (12:06)
Being around Bay Ridge, it's not a competition.
It's bringing families together. I have a ton of friends who own businesses in Bay Ridge.
A very dear friend of mine, Peppino, owns a business, the pizzeria on third.
There are the guys that Salty Dog.
There are the guys who own Ponte Vecchio's.
There are the guys at Positano's.
All great people!
We go to their stores, they come here. We collaborate. It's working out.
Jackie Morreale (12:16)
You're a destination, Charlie. I admire what you're doing to keep the tradition going and also modernize your business. Do you feel responsible for carrying Italian American culture forward in this modern world?
Charlie Rao (12:40)
I'm a pawn in the chess game that just helps out. Again, you can't do things by yourself.
Do I feel that I'm bringing the Italian tradition forward? Yeah, absolutely, I do. With the help of my family. The kids come and help. My wife comes and helps. It's important.
I really do feel that we're bringing on the Italian tradition.
Jackie Morreale (12:50)
I love that your wife, your kids, and your parents are also there helping out, although I hope your parents have retired by now and are really enjoying their lives. They deserve it.
So, running a food and service-based business, what has it taught you about yourself, and did anything surprise you?
Charlie Rao (13:07)
I love tradition. That's what it's taught me. It taught me about traditions. Like during Easter, we make the pizza rustica. We make all these wonderful things.
I'm a sucker for tradition. I love traditions.
I love to be around people who also enjoy traditions.
People come in, they're like, 'I'm making pizza rustica tomorrow'. It's like, 'How do you make yours?' We do it this way. We do it that way. What are you making for dinner?
We have banter. And you learn. You learn from each other.
(Continued below)
Charlie Rao (07:08)
Well, Jackie, honestly, if the boss isn't jumping into the trenches with the workers, how do you expect the workers to work for you?
If you show them, this is what I'm doing, this is what we're doing together. I'm here with you guys. I can't be with you 100% of the day because I have paperwork, I have other things to do, issues to handle.
Like on Thanksgiving, I'm first one here, at three in the morning, cutting turkeys in the back.
Again, team. That's it.
Jackie Morreale (07:35)
We've all had good and bad bosses. There's nothing like seeing your boss be the first one there, be the hardest worker there. Like you said, in the trenches. There's nothing more motivating.
If your boss just tells you to show up at 3 a.m. on this holiday and start cutting turkeys, you're like, 'Okay'... But if you're there next to me doing the same work, literally up to your elbows in food, there's nothing like that kind of motivation. It's a passion, really.
Charlie Rao (08:00)
Best way to do it.
Jackie Morreale (08:02)
Totally agree. So, to continue the online thing. Did you expect social media to become such a powerful extension of your business when you started?
Charlie Rao (08:10)
It's been surreal, actually. We started doing these videos. I started a little bit tougher, like six months ago, when I got back from Italy. A friend of mine helped me out with it, how to start it up.
I have a couple of people that help me with the videos. This person, she does all my videos, all my editing because I'm a boob when it comes to computers.
If you tell me to make you a cheesecake, I'll make you a cheesecake. But if you tell me to record and edit, it's beyond me.
Yes, the internet has helped my business. Slowly, slowly. It's not day thing. People have to start getting to know you, start warming up to you.
Jackie Morreale (08:41)
Yep. Exactly.
Charlie Rao (08:49)
We did invent something that did help a lot.
My sfogliatelle. We saw them in Italy with my family. We came back and made them in America. We made them. We stuffed them with broccoli rabe, we stuffed them with bolognese sauce. We stuffed them with sausage and peppers, then we're doing Philly cheesesteak ones.
For the Super Bowl, we're doing the sfogliatelle with buffalo chicken.
I get yelled at every day by my mom.
Jackie Morreale (09:11)
I was going to say, are your mom and dad okay with the buffalo chicken sfogliatelle?
Charlie Rao (09:14)
No, far from it. She's had some choice words, let's just say…
Jackie Morreale (09:22)
But people love it, right?
Charlie Rao (09:18)
You know what? If they sell, they sell.
Sweetheart, I just did a video with @the_burratababe. She took this sfogliatelle and put it in ranch. I can't wait till it comes out. Can't wait till she puts it up.
Jackie Morreale (09:34)
My gosh, I see your mom with a wooden spoon like, What the …?
Charlie Rao (09:37)
No, no, she's coming at me with the broom.
Jackie Morreale (09:40)
Anyway, I'm so proud of what you're doing. You're inventing food! You're a chef, and you're inventing all these different adaptations of Italian food.
You still go back to Italy every summer, it sounds like?
Charlie Rao (09:53)
No, I haven't. Actually, I went to Italy for the first time this past summer, believe it or not.
Jackie Morreale (10:00)
Good for you. You deserve it! Because then you come back and you have all these ideas! You get to reinvent sfogliatelle and all these amazing ideas and different ways to apply it to our culture, Super Bowl food. You can't even help but innovate.
Charlie Rao (10:15)
Well, because of the neighborhood that I'm in, I had to start working with the internet. I had to start reinventing the wheel, the sole purpose of which was to bring people into the store.
No one comes to 11th avenue anymore. It used to be a huge Italian presence.
The new generation is starting to enjoy the sandwiches. They're starting to enjoy all these things.
Jackie Morreale (10:31)
So, 11th Avenue is different than it used to be. It used to be an Italian American community. Now, you're bringing it back, it sounds like, in a new way, for new cultures, new generation, and you really are this ‘community center’ of food.
Charlie Rao (10:44)
Yeah, and I'm going to start working with some friends that have stores in Brooklyn. We're going to start working together, putting up pages for everyone in Brooklyn, to put up their content so that way everyone shows what they could do.
I'm not looking at it as competition; I'm looking at it more as if we work together, we're stronger. We could go forward and bring people back into the neighborhood.
Jackie Morreale (10:53)
Exactly. Yes.
Charlie Rao (11:07)
I get it, there's shopping online, and Uber Eats and Grub Hub, and all the others.
It drives me crazy because people don't want to leave the house.
Go shop, go find a friend, go see what's going on at the shop.
Go to Faicco's, go to Pasta Fresca, go to Coluccio's.
Go to these places and meet people. Talk.
Jackie Morreale (11:24)
Collaboration is success for you, for everyone, for the community. Find your shop, support your shop. Shop small. Go meet Charlie, and team.
Charlie Rao (11:35)
Go have a conversation with somebody.
Jackie Morreale (11:38)
Exactly. It's an experience every time you go to get a sandwich.
How would I have ever known to stop putting mayo on my mortadella prosciutto sandwich other than you told me I was going to get agita?
Charlie Rao (11:50)
Right, because I was getting agita just making it…
Jackie Morreale (11:56)
It's an experience. Just thinking about it. Exactly!
Let's talk more about Bay Ridge.
You're doing amazing things for Brooklyn. Bay Ridge, within Brooklyn, has such a strong sense of place. How does being rooted in that neighborhood help you shape and run your business?
Charlie Rao (12:06)
Being around Bay Ridge, it's not a competition.
It's bringing families together. I have a ton of friends who own businesses in Bay Ridge.
A very dear friend of mine, Peppino, owns a business, the pizzeria on third.
There are the guys that Salty Dog.
There are the guys who own Ponte Vecchio's.
There are the guys at Positano's.
All great people!
We go to their stores, they come here. We collaborate. It's working out.
Jackie Morreale (12:16)
You're a destination, Charlie. I admire what you're doing to keep the tradition going and also modernize your business. Do you feel responsible for carrying Italian American culture forward in this modern world?
Charlie Rao (12:40)
I'm a pawn in the chess game that just helps out. Again, you can't do things by yourself.
Do I feel that I'm bringing the Italian tradition forward? Yeah, absolutely, I do. With the help of my family. The kids come and help. My wife comes and helps. It's important.
I really do feel that we're bringing on the Italian tradition.
Jackie Morreale (12:50)
I love that your wife, your kids, and your parents are also there helping out, although I hope your parents have retired by now and are really enjoying their lives. They deserve it.
So, running a food and service-based business, what has it taught you about yourself, and did anything surprise you?
Charlie Rao (13:07)
I love tradition. That's what it's taught me. It taught me about traditions. Like during Easter, we make the pizza rustica. We make all these wonderful things.
I'm a sucker for tradition. I love traditions.
I love to be around people who also enjoy traditions.
People come in, they're like, 'I'm making pizza rustica tomorrow'. It's like, 'How do you make yours?' We do it this way. We do it that way. What are you making for dinner?
We have banter. And you learn. You learn from each other.
(Continued below)
Mama Rao's in photos:
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(Continued)
Jackie Morreale (13:41)
Wow. I know you guys use only the best ingredients. That's amazing that you can compare recipes like that and keep the tradition going.
Charlie Rao (13:49)
For instance, the other day, a woman came in here. She goes, 'I make a marinara sauce, and I put a potato in it.'
I was like, 'Why do you put a potato in it?'
And she goes, 'The potato goes in to take away some of the acidity, sometimes those tomatoes come too salty'.
I was like, 'Alright'.
Then I told her my secret, I'll share with you on the side, to take away the acidity out of the tomatoes…
Jackie Morreale (14:02)
Okay, separately… well, my mother-in-law uses baking soda.
Charlie Rao (14:09)
Okay, so you know the secret already. Enough said.
Jackie Morreale (14:12)
I know the secret already! Yes! I’m in the club!
Charlie Rao (14:14)
You’re in the club.
Jackie Morreale (14:15)
So, what does success mean to you now, and has anything changed?
Charlie Rao (14:21)
Success. It's nice to have nice things. It's nice to have money, I get it.
But success to me is joy and happiness together with your family. Being around people that you love. That's success in my eyes.
Money, it's great, fantastic. I could buy a car, whatever.
But success is as long as you feel good inside, you're happy within yourself with what you're doing.
Working with the internet now and meeting all these new people, wonderful influencers. They come in, then we became very friendly. They're like family. It's a wonderful feeling. Joy.
Jackie Morreale (14:54)
Totally agree. For anybody looking to start a specialty shop or restaurant…
Charlie Rao (15:00)
Don't do it. Don't do it.
Jackie Morreale (15:05)
Ha, don't do it. And if someone really wants to do it, any advice?
Charlie Rao (15:00)
If someone really wants to do it, find your niche.
Find something that you're good at.
Find recipes that you have from years and years and years, through generations.
Bring that to people, show them, but do it with love.
Don't just open up a store because I'm going to open up the store.
Have a plan, have an idea.
Have love for something.
I've seen stores open and close in six months, stores not too far away from here. The guy goes, 'I don't want to work every day. I can't find an employee'.
Then why did you start it?
But starting from scratch, it's a grind. It's a grind.
Restaurants go in and out all over Manhattan. Today there's a restaurant there, tomorrow it's gone. It's a lot to start.
But again, have an idea, have a plan, have an understanding that it's not going to be easy.
Have an understanding that we're not going to be going out every weekend. We're going to have to take care of the store.
You have to nurture it like a baby.
Jackie Morreale (15:53)
Well, it is. Your business is your baby, right?
Charlie Rao (15:56)
When I first started, a gentleman turned to me, he goes, 'Your business is your wife and your wife at home is your mistress'.
Jackie Morreale (16:03)
Is he still a customer today?
Charlie Rao (16:05)
No, he passed on. He had his own restaurant.
Jackie Morreale (16:15)
I’m sorry to hear. Yeah, so he knew.
I love that you describe Pasta Fresca as your first home. It's an amazing thing to feel that kind of love, passion, for your business.
Charlie Rao (16:20)
You have to.
Jackie Morreale (16:22)
It also sounds like you really appreciate what your parents went through, to start back then, to uncharted waters. And you've really brought it into uncharted waters, too, growing the business in all different ways. But it's a grind.
Charlie Rao (16:20)
Yeah, it is.
To be honest with you, words of thanks don't exist for what my parents built for my siblings and me, or what they've done and continue to do.
There are no words that I could describe the thanks. Humble.
My dad came to this country, they didn't speak a lick of English and he built an empire.
I'm very proud of him.
Jackie Morreale (16:57)
Yes. All about La famiglia.
Charlie Rao (16:55)
The thing is, he had a good woman next to him. My mom was right next to him through thick and thin.
He would be like, 'How do we do this?'
She goes, 'Don't worry about it.'
She always gave him courage. She always gave him that push forward. It was an amazing thing.
Jackie Morreale (17:10)
How about some quick-fire questions?
Charlie Rao (17:12)
Do it.
Jackie Morreale (17:13)
Okay! What is your favorite Italian food to eat?
Charlie Rao (17:16)
Pasta al forno. Pasta al forno is the pasta we make in Sicily.
Jackie Morreale (17:21)
Favorite Italian food to cook?
Charlie Rao (17:23)
Same, pasta al forno.
Jackie Morreale (17:26)
Super Bowl Sunday snack?
Charlie Rao (17:29)
Wings, love wings.
Jackie Morreale (17:29)
Ooh, okay. Sport to play?
Charlie Rao (17:29)
I don't know. No, bowling. We'll go bowling every once in a while.
Jackie Morreale (17:32)
How can you play sports, you were always at the restaurant. Bowling, okay!
Sport to watch?
Charlie Rao (17:40)
Football. American football.
Jackie Morreale (17:42)
Okay. American football? Nice.
Place in Italy?
Charlie Rao (17:45)
Sicily. Cefalu.
Jackie Morreale (17:48)
Cefalu. Beautiful beach.
Charlie Rao (17:50)
It is absolutely.
(Continued below)
Jackie Morreale (13:41)
Wow. I know you guys use only the best ingredients. That's amazing that you can compare recipes like that and keep the tradition going.
Charlie Rao (13:49)
For instance, the other day, a woman came in here. She goes, 'I make a marinara sauce, and I put a potato in it.'
I was like, 'Why do you put a potato in it?'
And she goes, 'The potato goes in to take away some of the acidity, sometimes those tomatoes come too salty'.
I was like, 'Alright'.
Then I told her my secret, I'll share with you on the side, to take away the acidity out of the tomatoes…
Jackie Morreale (14:02)
Okay, separately… well, my mother-in-law uses baking soda.
Charlie Rao (14:09)
Okay, so you know the secret already. Enough said.
Jackie Morreale (14:12)
I know the secret already! Yes! I’m in the club!
Charlie Rao (14:14)
You’re in the club.
Jackie Morreale (14:15)
So, what does success mean to you now, and has anything changed?
Charlie Rao (14:21)
Success. It's nice to have nice things. It's nice to have money, I get it.
But success to me is joy and happiness together with your family. Being around people that you love. That's success in my eyes.
Money, it's great, fantastic. I could buy a car, whatever.
But success is as long as you feel good inside, you're happy within yourself with what you're doing.
Working with the internet now and meeting all these new people, wonderful influencers. They come in, then we became very friendly. They're like family. It's a wonderful feeling. Joy.
Jackie Morreale (14:54)
Totally agree. For anybody looking to start a specialty shop or restaurant…
Charlie Rao (15:00)
Don't do it. Don't do it.
Jackie Morreale (15:05)
Ha, don't do it. And if someone really wants to do it, any advice?
Charlie Rao (15:00)
If someone really wants to do it, find your niche.
Find something that you're good at.
Find recipes that you have from years and years and years, through generations.
Bring that to people, show them, but do it with love.
Don't just open up a store because I'm going to open up the store.
Have a plan, have an idea.
Have love for something.
I've seen stores open and close in six months, stores not too far away from here. The guy goes, 'I don't want to work every day. I can't find an employee'.
Then why did you start it?
But starting from scratch, it's a grind. It's a grind.
Restaurants go in and out all over Manhattan. Today there's a restaurant there, tomorrow it's gone. It's a lot to start.
But again, have an idea, have a plan, have an understanding that it's not going to be easy.
Have an understanding that we're not going to be going out every weekend. We're going to have to take care of the store.
You have to nurture it like a baby.
Jackie Morreale (15:53)
Well, it is. Your business is your baby, right?
Charlie Rao (15:56)
When I first started, a gentleman turned to me, he goes, 'Your business is your wife and your wife at home is your mistress'.
Jackie Morreale (16:03)
Is he still a customer today?
Charlie Rao (16:05)
No, he passed on. He had his own restaurant.
Jackie Morreale (16:15)
I’m sorry to hear. Yeah, so he knew.
I love that you describe Pasta Fresca as your first home. It's an amazing thing to feel that kind of love, passion, for your business.
Charlie Rao (16:20)
You have to.
Jackie Morreale (16:22)
It also sounds like you really appreciate what your parents went through, to start back then, to uncharted waters. And you've really brought it into uncharted waters, too, growing the business in all different ways. But it's a grind.
Charlie Rao (16:20)
Yeah, it is.
To be honest with you, words of thanks don't exist for what my parents built for my siblings and me, or what they've done and continue to do.
There are no words that I could describe the thanks. Humble.
My dad came to this country, they didn't speak a lick of English and he built an empire.
I'm very proud of him.
Jackie Morreale (16:57)
Yes. All about La famiglia.
Charlie Rao (16:55)
The thing is, he had a good woman next to him. My mom was right next to him through thick and thin.
He would be like, 'How do we do this?'
She goes, 'Don't worry about it.'
She always gave him courage. She always gave him that push forward. It was an amazing thing.
Jackie Morreale (17:10)
How about some quick-fire questions?
Charlie Rao (17:12)
Do it.
Jackie Morreale (17:13)
Okay! What is your favorite Italian food to eat?
Charlie Rao (17:16)
Pasta al forno. Pasta al forno is the pasta we make in Sicily.
Jackie Morreale (17:21)
Favorite Italian food to cook?
Charlie Rao (17:23)
Same, pasta al forno.
Jackie Morreale (17:26)
Super Bowl Sunday snack?
Charlie Rao (17:29)
Wings, love wings.
Jackie Morreale (17:29)
Ooh, okay. Sport to play?
Charlie Rao (17:29)
I don't know. No, bowling. We'll go bowling every once in a while.
Jackie Morreale (17:32)
How can you play sports, you were always at the restaurant. Bowling, okay!
Sport to watch?
Charlie Rao (17:40)
Football. American football.
Jackie Morreale (17:42)
Okay. American football? Nice.
Place in Italy?
Charlie Rao (17:45)
Sicily. Cefalu.
Jackie Morreale (17:48)
Cefalu. Beautiful beach.
Charlie Rao (17:50)
It is absolutely.
(Continued below)
Great Rao Family-Run Businesses in NY and NJ:
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(Continued)
Jackie Morreale (17:52)
Nice. Place in Brooklyn?
Charlie Rao (17:54)
Home.
Jackie Morreale (17:56)
Nice. Favorite Brooklyn memory growing up? This one might not be quick.
Charlie Rao (17:58)
Brooklyn memory growing up... Going outside, playing with my friends. Back in the day, we couldn't afford much. We used to go find bottle caps in the schoolyards. We used to melt the crayon in there.
It was a board that we'd make on the street, called Skelly. We used to play for days with just a bottle cap and some melted old crayons.
Jackie Morreale (18:17)
It's the simple things in life.
Favorite book? Could be a recipe book.
Charlie Rao (18:20)
Anything from Stephen King, believe it or not. I actually enjoyed It. Next was Thinner. There were so many great books. I don't usually read books, I listen to them as audiobooks.
Jackie Morreale (18:34)
Yes, Stephen King... That's some scary stuff. Are you into the horror or the mystery of it?
Charlie Rao (18:39)
More the mystery type.
Jackie Morreale (18:41)
Favorite quote or rule if you have one to live by?
Charlie Rao (18:44)
'Keep looking forward, don't turn back.'
Jackie Morreale (18:47)
Homemade or restaurant food?
Charlie Rao (18:50)
I'm spoiled; I have both.
Jackie Morreale (18:51)
That's fair. Old school or modern-day Brooklyn?
Charlie Rao (18:54)
Old school Brooklyn for sure. I don’t like the new… I'm not a fan of modern-day Brooklyn. Sorry.
Jackie Morreale (18:59)
All the way. Sauce or gravy?
Charlie Rao (19:02)
Yeah, sauce with me, sauce with me.
Jackie Morreale (19:06)
Thank you. Agree!
I know the answer to this, but mayo or oil and vinegar?
Charlie Rao (19:12)
Oil and vinegar.
Jackie Morreale (19:16)
Thank you. Somebody who's very smart taught me that one.
'Mutz' or mozzarella?
Charlie Rao (19:18)
No… mozzarella. And Prosciutto. No 'prosciut'.
Jackie Morreale (19:20)
How did you feel about the lady who put the potato in the sauce, by the way? Did that work for you?
Charlie Rao (19:25)
It was different because I wasn't talking to a young lady. I was talking to, let's say, a younger lady, who has a couple of miles on her. It makes sense if you add too much salt because it will absorb the salt, which may take away the acidity.
But hey, look, people put boiled eggs in their lasagna. I don't do it...
Jackie Morreale (19:36)
Right. I love that you're open to the conversation and different recipes and different ways of doing things.
Charlie Rao (19:42)
It would be silly not to… You're supposed to learn something new every day.
Jackie Morreale (19:46)
Every day, exactly! There's another rule to live by.
If Pasta Fresca could teach you one life lesson beyond food, what would it be?
Charlie Rao (19:57)
Teamwork makes the dream work. That's a life lesson.
You work as a team, you go forward as a team, good things happen.
If you have to do everything by yourself, it's not going to work.
Jackie Morreale (20:10)
Shout outs to anybody on your team?
Charlie Rao (20:24)
All of them. Everybody. There's not one specific person.
Jackie Morreale (20:30)
All of them! Yeah. I've talked to a couple of your team members already, and everybody is professional, wants to help you, and goes out of their way.
Your vibe really extends beyond to your whole team.
Charlie Rao (20:39)
Again, without them, I'm nobody.
Jackie Morreale (20:41)
Speaking of collaboration, you shouted out a couple of restaurants and shops on 4th Avenue, 3rd Avenue in Bay Ridge.
Are there any other restaurants in Brooklyn that you think are doing really good things that people should visit?
Charlie Rao (20:50)
Mama Rao's restaurant is right next door. Mama Rao's, that's our restaurant.
I'd love to give a shout-out to my brother's place, Mama Rao's Kitchen. He has a store in East Hanover, New Jersey, that has all Italian products. Beautiful store, gorgeous, also a hard worker.
My brother-in-law at Sub-ology in Cranford, Cranford, New Jersey. He has a sub shop.
Jackie Morreale (21:06)
Nice. So, everybody's in the food industry? We're keeping the famiglia business going strong.
Charlie Rao (21:18)
Exactly. Everyone's boiling water.
Jackie Morreale (21:21)
Awesome. So, what is next for you, Charlie Rao?
Charlie Rao (21:24)
Keep going with what we're doing now. I'm looking forward to growing, to seeing more clients, more moving in business.
There are thoughts of starting a satellite place for sfogliatelle, because of so many different flavors, maybe a food truck. I've been approached by a few people that want to put them at the San Gennaro feast. I've been approached by a few people to do different things.
But I take every day as it comes.
Tomorrow is not promised to anybody.
Every moment that I'm still here and still working, I'm happy; that's all.
Jackie Morreale (21:51)
My very last thing, if there's anybody who wants to place an order at Pasta Fresca, what would be your menu of must-haves?
Charlie Rao (22:00)
They could go online. They could find my menu at: https://pastafrescabrooklyn.com/. It's there.
They could go onto my Instagram page, @pastafrescabkny, have a menu there.
They could go online and order whatever they want.
Jackie Morreale (22:10)
Awesome. Is there anything else you want to talk about today?
Charlie Rao (22:13)
I would like to say thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to speak to you.
I feel really comfortable speaking to you. Before I started today, I was like, my God, my God, I'm nervous. Because it's new to me. These things are new to me. Coming to this podcast, I was invited to go to another podcast...
Jackie Morreale (22:27)
Listen, you're our local celebrity. Every day is going to be a surprise for you! I can't wait to see what's next for you, Mama Rao's, Pasta Fresca.
Charlie Rao, you are on fire!
I appreciate your time. I appreciate your outlook on life.
Charlie Rao (22:38)
Appreciate that.
Jackie Morreale (22:45)
You're such a hard working family man, business man, Italian American who's keeping the traditions strong. Listening to people, making people laugh, and bringing the Italian culture through food to the forefront of the conversation. It's inspiring!
Charlie Rao (22:58)
Thank you very, very much. It was a pleasure speaking to you today, honestly.
Jackie Morreale (23:03)
Me too. Thank you so much Charlie. See you in Brooklyn! Ciao.
Charlie Rao (23:06)
Talk to you soon!
Follow Charlie Rao on Instagram here: @mamaraosbrooklyn and @pastafrescabkny
Jackie Morreale (17:52)
Nice. Place in Brooklyn?
Charlie Rao (17:54)
Home.
Jackie Morreale (17:56)
Nice. Favorite Brooklyn memory growing up? This one might not be quick.
Charlie Rao (17:58)
Brooklyn memory growing up... Going outside, playing with my friends. Back in the day, we couldn't afford much. We used to go find bottle caps in the schoolyards. We used to melt the crayon in there.
It was a board that we'd make on the street, called Skelly. We used to play for days with just a bottle cap and some melted old crayons.
Jackie Morreale (18:17)
It's the simple things in life.
Favorite book? Could be a recipe book.
Charlie Rao (18:20)
Anything from Stephen King, believe it or not. I actually enjoyed It. Next was Thinner. There were so many great books. I don't usually read books, I listen to them as audiobooks.
Jackie Morreale (18:34)
Yes, Stephen King... That's some scary stuff. Are you into the horror or the mystery of it?
Charlie Rao (18:39)
More the mystery type.
Jackie Morreale (18:41)
Favorite quote or rule if you have one to live by?
Charlie Rao (18:44)
'Keep looking forward, don't turn back.'
Jackie Morreale (18:47)
Homemade or restaurant food?
Charlie Rao (18:50)
I'm spoiled; I have both.
Jackie Morreale (18:51)
That's fair. Old school or modern-day Brooklyn?
Charlie Rao (18:54)
Old school Brooklyn for sure. I don’t like the new… I'm not a fan of modern-day Brooklyn. Sorry.
Jackie Morreale (18:59)
All the way. Sauce or gravy?
Charlie Rao (19:02)
Yeah, sauce with me, sauce with me.
Jackie Morreale (19:06)
Thank you. Agree!
I know the answer to this, but mayo or oil and vinegar?
Charlie Rao (19:12)
Oil and vinegar.
Jackie Morreale (19:16)
Thank you. Somebody who's very smart taught me that one.
'Mutz' or mozzarella?
Charlie Rao (19:18)
No… mozzarella. And Prosciutto. No 'prosciut'.
Jackie Morreale (19:20)
How did you feel about the lady who put the potato in the sauce, by the way? Did that work for you?
Charlie Rao (19:25)
It was different because I wasn't talking to a young lady. I was talking to, let's say, a younger lady, who has a couple of miles on her. It makes sense if you add too much salt because it will absorb the salt, which may take away the acidity.
But hey, look, people put boiled eggs in their lasagna. I don't do it...
Jackie Morreale (19:36)
Right. I love that you're open to the conversation and different recipes and different ways of doing things.
Charlie Rao (19:42)
It would be silly not to… You're supposed to learn something new every day.
Jackie Morreale (19:46)
Every day, exactly! There's another rule to live by.
If Pasta Fresca could teach you one life lesson beyond food, what would it be?
Charlie Rao (19:57)
Teamwork makes the dream work. That's a life lesson.
You work as a team, you go forward as a team, good things happen.
If you have to do everything by yourself, it's not going to work.
Jackie Morreale (20:10)
Shout outs to anybody on your team?
Charlie Rao (20:24)
All of them. Everybody. There's not one specific person.
Jackie Morreale (20:30)
All of them! Yeah. I've talked to a couple of your team members already, and everybody is professional, wants to help you, and goes out of their way.
Your vibe really extends beyond to your whole team.
Charlie Rao (20:39)
Again, without them, I'm nobody.
Jackie Morreale (20:41)
Speaking of collaboration, you shouted out a couple of restaurants and shops on 4th Avenue, 3rd Avenue in Bay Ridge.
Are there any other restaurants in Brooklyn that you think are doing really good things that people should visit?
Charlie Rao (20:50)
Mama Rao's restaurant is right next door. Mama Rao's, that's our restaurant.
I'd love to give a shout-out to my brother's place, Mama Rao's Kitchen. He has a store in East Hanover, New Jersey, that has all Italian products. Beautiful store, gorgeous, also a hard worker.
My brother-in-law at Sub-ology in Cranford, Cranford, New Jersey. He has a sub shop.
Jackie Morreale (21:06)
Nice. So, everybody's in the food industry? We're keeping the famiglia business going strong.
Charlie Rao (21:18)
Exactly. Everyone's boiling water.
Jackie Morreale (21:21)
Awesome. So, what is next for you, Charlie Rao?
Charlie Rao (21:24)
Keep going with what we're doing now. I'm looking forward to growing, to seeing more clients, more moving in business.
There are thoughts of starting a satellite place for sfogliatelle, because of so many different flavors, maybe a food truck. I've been approached by a few people that want to put them at the San Gennaro feast. I've been approached by a few people to do different things.
But I take every day as it comes.
Tomorrow is not promised to anybody.
Every moment that I'm still here and still working, I'm happy; that's all.
Jackie Morreale (21:51)
My very last thing, if there's anybody who wants to place an order at Pasta Fresca, what would be your menu of must-haves?
Charlie Rao (22:00)
They could go online. They could find my menu at: https://pastafrescabrooklyn.com/. It's there.
They could go onto my Instagram page, @pastafrescabkny, have a menu there.
They could go online and order whatever they want.
Jackie Morreale (22:10)
Awesome. Is there anything else you want to talk about today?
Charlie Rao (22:13)
I would like to say thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to speak to you.
I feel really comfortable speaking to you. Before I started today, I was like, my God, my God, I'm nervous. Because it's new to me. These things are new to me. Coming to this podcast, I was invited to go to another podcast...
Jackie Morreale (22:27)
Listen, you're our local celebrity. Every day is going to be a surprise for you! I can't wait to see what's next for you, Mama Rao's, Pasta Fresca.
Charlie Rao, you are on fire!
I appreciate your time. I appreciate your outlook on life.
Charlie Rao (22:38)
Appreciate that.
Jackie Morreale (22:45)
You're such a hard working family man, business man, Italian American who's keeping the traditions strong. Listening to people, making people laugh, and bringing the Italian culture through food to the forefront of the conversation. It's inspiring!
Charlie Rao (22:58)
Thank you very, very much. It was a pleasure speaking to you today, honestly.
Jackie Morreale (23:03)
Me too. Thank you so much Charlie. See you in Brooklyn! Ciao.
Charlie Rao (23:06)
Talk to you soon!
Follow Charlie Rao on Instagram here: @mamaraosbrooklyn and @pastafrescabkny
Continued reading, recommended by Charlie Rao:
It. Published May 12, 2011. By Stephen King.
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Thinner (The Bachman Books). Published March 8, 2016. By Stephen King.
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