Sayreville Man Completes Family Circle With Eatery

OLD BRIDGE - Those who heeded the call of the dancing gorilla were in for a treat last week.

At Giusseppe's Pizza in the Billow Park Plaza on Route 516, a crowd gathered to enjoy grand opening festivities of a grand scale.

"I wanted to give back to the community," said Carlo Castronovo, owner of the new restaurant. "Plus, I love to see smiles and people having a great time."

The Sayreville native treated those in attendance to a day of fun. Kids bounced in a moonwalk, and enjoyed free tattoos and balloons. Giveaways included Yankees and BlueClaws tickets, and people had the chance to practice their pitching at the dunk tank.

The crowd feasted on free pizza, calamari and rice balls, while some opted to make their own miniature pizzas.

Old Bridge Mayor Jim Phillips came to help with the ceremonial ribbon-cutting, bringing Township Council President Pat Gillespie and Councilman Edward Testino with him.

"I told him, 'You can't leave until you make a pizza,'" Castronovo said, adding that Phillips' pie came out great, and he would love to hire him when he retires from public service. Three-time World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Bobby Czyz was on hand to greet the public and sign autographs. Hobnobbing with celebrities is nothing new for Castronovo, however. While living in Los Angeles for four years, he worked at Robert Dinero's restaurant, Ago, and Ashton Kutcher's Dolce.

"Since the event, we've had a lot of new faces, a lot of new customers," Castronovo said. "I'm going to try to do {the event} every year if I can."

Though Giusseppe's opened earlier this year, Castronovo decided to welcome the neighborhood with summertime festivities.

The youngest of five brothers, Castronovo has completed the family circle by opening his own Italian restaurant. His parents, Frank and Dora, brought the recipes that spurred their son's restaurants straight from Italy.

"We've all been in the restaurant business forever," Castronovo said.

Now that his parents have retired, a brother took over Santino's, their nearly 40-year-old pizzeria in Sayreville. Castronovo's other brothers own eateries in West Orange, Livingston and Millstone, respectively.

Though the family comes from the same school of cooking, Castronovo said each restaurant has its own unique flair. His own specialties include Brooklyn pizza, which comes layered with provolone and mozzarella cheese on a thin, square crust and pan-baked. He said other must-tries are the chicken romaine salad and seafood combo.

Patrons can enjoy Italian delicacies in the pizzeria or settle into the dining room. Castronovo completes the ambiance by playing music to go along with the food, like vintage Frank Sinatra selections.

"I want to instill a friendly and personable atmosphere with this place, while at the same time provide the best quality food."