Ralph's Italian Restaurant, 100 Years and 100 Recipes

Ralph's Italian Restaurant, 100 Years & 100 Recipes is a book that gives you an inside look at how this South Philadelphia temple of fine cuisine came in to being and also, for the first time ever, a chance to enjoy the 100-year-old Dispigno family recipes that have never been written down before. Learn about all the famous guests - from Teddy Roosevelt to Frank Sinatra - who have enjoyed Ralph's food, read about the four generations of this close-knit family and how the restaurant has been their life - and find out the inside secrets of what makes a meal at Ralph's a truly unforgettable dining experience.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS...

JIMMY RUBINO JR. A native of South Philadelphia, Jimmy grew up in Ralph's Restaurant and "worked" there from the age of six on. After graduating from South Philadelphia High School, Rubino went to work for a relative's plumbing firm - but never really left the restaurant, working there several nights-a-week. His career as a plumber lasted only two years and at age 20 - in 1981 - he returned to the restaurant, full-time, and took a leadership role that has energized Ralph's and made sure that the family tradition would carry in to the 21st Century. Rubino's skills as a chef and his engaging personality have been widely quoted and recognized in the news media and he is a frequent guest on radio and TV. Rubino was a one of the nation's leading Michael Jordan memorabilia collectors and now has compiled an impressive collection of corkscrews. Jimmy and his wife Holly have two children - Ryan and Gabrielle - and reside in suburban Bucks County, Pa. TED TAYLOR "I am Italian by marriage, and that qualified me to work with Jimmy on this book" says Taylor of his 32-year-long union with the former Cynthia Mary DeMarco of South Philadelphia. President of his own Public Relations and Marketing firm, Taylor joined Ralph's as their publicist in 1999 and has worked with the restaurant on their year-long 100th anniversary celebration. Ted grew up in suburban Glenside and has been a baseball fan his entire life. (The fact that both he and Rubino collected sports memorabilia is what brought them together in the first place. They are friends first, the business thing came later on.) An educator by profession (he has been a college athletic director, baseball coach, English and Mass Media professor) Taylor has written two books on baseball card collecting and has been a sports hobby columnist for The Philadelphia Daily News since 1991. Ted and Cindy live in suburban Philadelphia and have four children and four grandchildren.