Atlantic City and Big Joe

The summer of 1977 found me as a Sous Chef at Landis Valley Motor Inn, at that time one of the busiest restaurants in the county. On any given Saturday night we could do 200+ covers in two separate dining rooms with separate menus, plus banquets up to 400 people. One of the cooks working for me was a young man named David. That summer Dave left to move to the shore.

A month after he left, he called to tell me about the restaurant in Atlantic City where he was working. They needed a Head Chef, Dave had told the owner about me and my abilities and he was very interested. So we arranged an interview.

On that day, my best friend Gale and I hopped into my Triumph Spitfire and headed off to Atlantic City. Actually we were heading for Somers Point and the Anchorage 7 Tavern, a New Jersey landmark. The Anchorage was famous for offering 7 beers for a dollar. The owner of the restaurant also owned the Anchorage and Mother’s, a popular nightclub halfway between AC and Somers Point. Dave lived in a room in the Anchorage, we were going to meet up for a pre-interview briefing. Gale would stay at the bar and I would go into Atlantic City to meet Joe Tenachi, the owner of The Bottom Line, his AC restaurant

Now it was a bright sunny afternoon and the restaurant was not open for lunch, so it was essentially just Mr. Tenachi and I and a few people cleaning and restocking the bar. The restaurant serves Italian cuisine and is decorated in heavy dark woods and deep burgundy leather banquettes. A very traditional and masculine space. Joe sat with his back to the large open windows, backlit by the bright sun, obscuring any details of his face. It was like one of those informant interviews on 20/20, where they are hiding the appearance of the subject for their safety.

We made our introductions and I was instructed to refer to Mr. Tenachi as Big Joe, the Big, was NOT due to his stature. True to the entire scene and the conversation that was to follow, Big Joe spoke in a hoarse Italian accented English. If I had closed my eyes, I could have easily believed I was talking to Marlon Brando in The Godfather. It was more than a bit disconcerting. Big Joe described the restaurant and the clientele, (read all of Big Joe’s quotes like you’re the Godfather).

“Cousin Sal comes in every morning to make the pasta, Aunt Marie makes the red sauce a few times a week, so that is all taken care of for you. As for our customers, we serve all the best of Atlantic City, the doctors, lawyers, judges….whom am I kidding the Mafioso.” His exact words, “who am I kidding”, well I was taken back a bit. He continued, “I want everyone that comes in to have a nice meal, for them to be happy and comfortable. Next year when the casinos start opening it will be great opportunity to grow our business. Now they are saying that it will be another year or two before the casinos will open, but WE know it will be next year, right around Easter.” Now a little history, the referendum for legalized gambling in Atlantic City was passed in 1976. Conventional wisdom at the time of the interview, was that 1979, late 78, at the earliest, for the first casino to open. The Resorts International became the first casino to open…..May 22, 1978.

Now my sharp and focused restaurant mind went into operation, asking, what food cost are you looking to maintain, what is your inventory and monthly purchase amount, what is your wrap around cost, (overhead). All of this varies from restaurant to restaurant and is needed to establish prices in order to hit the food cost that you are looking to obtain, usually between 28 and 35 percent.

Big Joe just waved that all off, saying, “We just want the food to be good and the customers happy. We’re not concerned with that type of thing.” Earthshattering, this went against every sound restaurant concept that I had learned.

The bright sun silhouetting Joe was diminishing, I was finally able to see his facial features, a grandfather like gentleman, not at all threatening. Around this point a very dapper 30ish man walks up to our booth and bends over to whisper something to Joe. He was dressed in a very expensive black pinstripe suit, you could have cut your finger on the crease in his pants. He had a roman nose and slicked back black hair. They hold a short conversation, all in whispers, Joe then turns to me and introduces this rather dangerous looking man, ” Chuck, this is Nicky, he’s my, ah, ah, nephew, he’s helping us out here for a little while. Nicky, Chuck is Dave’s friend.” Nicky says hello and leaves.

Joe goes on to talk about his standing in Atlantic City. “If you ever get in trouble here in Atlantic City, or down in Somers Point, just tell them you work for Big Joe, that should take care of it. Unless it’s drugs, I don’t want anything to do with these drugs that people are using these days. Also, you’re a big boy, if you should be down at Mother’s or The Anchorage, and there is some sort of problem, the boys will expect you to help them out.”

That was pretty much the end of the interview, a quick tour of the kitchen, a shake of hands and a promise to call him when I returned home, to let him know my decision. I returned to the Anchorage, head fairly spinning with all of the implications. Especially, that helping out the boys part. Dave asked, how did it go? I explained that I really didn’t think this job was for me. I then asked him about this Nicky character. He says, “Oh you met Nick the Blade.” “Nick the Blade” I gulped. “Yeah” he says, “he just got out of prison for stabbing someone, he won’t be around long, he’ll be moving on.”

Gale and I had a few, (maybe more than a few), beers and promptly got lost on the drive home. The trip took us twice as long as it should have. When I finally got home, the phone was ringing. It was Big Joe, “I’ve been calling for two hours, what do you say, are you taking the job?” I said, “Sorry, I don’t think I’m ready to make a move at this point.” There was a few moments of silence, Joe finally saying, “I’m disappointed, good luck,” then he disconnected. I let out a pretty significant sigh of relief, knowing that cement shoes were now not in my future.

EPILOGUE

The casinos brought more than gambling to Atlantic City. They brought a mob turf war. A few years later, the Philly mob boss Nicky Scarfo was at trial for a myriad of sins. Watching the Philadelphia news one night, they had video of Scarfo and his entourage leaving the courthouse. There was a familiar face in that group, that’s right, Nick the Blade.