Wallkill Valley Times Oct. 17 2018 | Page 2

2 Wallkill Valley Times, Wednesday, October 17, 2018 ‘Eat’alian cuisine IN THIS ISSUE Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Crossword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Letters to the Editor. . . . . . . . . . 8 Maybrook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Montgomery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Opinion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Pine Bush. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Police Blotter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 School News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Service Directory. . . . . . . . . . . 35 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Walden.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Wallkill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Walker Valley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 PUBLIC AGENDA WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17 Village of Walden Planning Board, 7:30 p.m. Village Hall, 1 Municipal Square. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18 Montgomery Town Board Audit/Work Session, 6 p.m. Town Government Center, 110 Bracken Road, Montgomery. Crawford Town Board, 7 p.m. Town Hall, 121 Route 302, Pine Bush. Shawangunk Town Board, 7 p.m. Town Hall, 14 Central Ave., Wallkill. Wallkill Board of Education, 7 p.m. Ostrander Elementary School. MONDAY, OCTOBER 22 Maybrook Village Board. 7 p.m. Village Government Center, Schipps Lane. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23 Pine Bush Board of Education, 7 p.m. Circleville Middle School HOW TO REACH US OFFICE: 300 Stony Brook Court Newburgh, NY 12550 PHONE: [phone], FAX: [phone] Emails may be directed to the following : ADVERTISING [email protected] CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS [email protected] TO REACH THE EDITOR [email protected] FOR THE SPORTS DEPARTMENT [email protected] PUBLIC NOTICES [email protected] WEBSITE www.timescommunitypapers.com The Wallkill Valley Times, (USPS 699-490) is a weekly newspaper published every Wednesday at Newburgh, N.Y. 12550, with offices at 300 Stony Brook Court, Newburgh, N.Y. Single copy: $1 at newsstand. By mail in Orange, Ulster or Sullivan Counties: $40 annually, $44 out of county. Periodicals permit at Newburgh, N.Y. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Wallkill Valley Times, 300 Stony Brook Court, Newburgh, N.Y. 12550 Three Mamas and Mike opens in Pine Bush By LAURA FITZGERALD [email protected] T hree mamas and Mike are realizing their dream with the opening of a restaurant in Pine Bush. Co-owners Antonietta Siena, Danielle Occhiogrosso, Rita and Mike Heaney recently opened Three Mamas and Mike restaurant at 55 Depot Street. “Food is important to us,” Rita Heaney said. “It’s our way of life.” A first-generation Italian, Siena began her career at age nine, washing dishes in her family’s restaurant for a quarter an hour. She moved into the kitchen as a teenager, then worked at several restaurants and commercial establishments as a cook, bartender, manager and more. Then, Siena met Occhiogrosso through a job at Red Lobster. The couple both have years of food service experience under their belts, learning the dos and don’ts of the industry through jobs in everything from commercial chains to small mom- and-pop restaurants. Siena and Occhiogrosso decided to strike out on their own and opened Three Mama’s and Mike food truck with Occhiogrosso’s parents, the Heaneys, in December 2013. While working in the small space presented its challenges, the foursome used their first truck as a learning experience. They opened a take-out restaurant in 2015 in Goshen once they outgrew their food truck. Siena said she wants to eventually make the restaurant into a franchise and operate a second truck. Born in Italy, Rita Heaney also shares Siena’s Italian heritage. She grew up in the kitchen cooking with her mother. “Food was always a very big part of our lives. It was holiday time, it was time you had to be around the table,” Rita Heaney said. “Food was just very important in the Italian tradition. It’s where you talk, it’s where you meet, it’s where you have to cook it or clean it.” The connection food creates with others was apparent as Siena greeted a cluster of three women in the restaurant and asked them how their food tasted. They sat beside a group of men nursing their coffee and discussing the events of the day. A steady stream of customers passed in and out the door as a woman behind the counter dispensed bagels and Co-owners Danielle Occhiogrosso (left), Antonietta Siena (left center), Rita Heaney (right cen- ter) and Mike Heaney (right) recently opened Three Mamas and Mike Restaurant in Pine Bush. took orders. Siena and Occhiogrosso said they want to learn customers’ names and create a welcoming atmosphere for people to gather. They have formed long-lasting friendships with their customers and are thankful for their loyal customer base. “I want to get to know every customer,” Siena said. “I want to try to remember their names and make them feel at home.” The foursome said the same is true of their staff. Without their dedication, the restaurant wouldn’t be where it is today. “They [staff] see what we see for our future, when I say our future, that’s them included,” Siena said. “So they see that vision with us and they’re dedicated.” Currently, the restaurant has breakfast food and a limited lunch menu, including bagels, eggs, breakfast sandwiches, deli sandwiches and more. The restaurant is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. seven days a week and will eventually open for dinner as well, adding more menu items. The soft opening is so the owners can gather feedback and learn what dishes customers may want to add. It also gives staff ample time to train and learn the ins and outs of the restaurant industry. Siena plans to add soups and chili, the perfect food for chilly fall and winter days. “We wanna make comfort food, that plate that you ain’t gonna find anywhere else,” Siena said. Most of the food is made fresh in-house, Siena said, with original platters and recipes created from years of experience and collaboration between the foursome. The chain also creates its own in-house dressings, which the restaurant might eventually bottle and sell. To see a menu and learn more about their other locations, visit 3mamasandmike.com. To place an order or learn more, call 845-524-4143. Siena said customers might like to call ahead to place their order so the food can be ready when they arrive.