Why did you make the decision to open a restaurant in Pembroke? When I moved to Pembroke, I used to drive by the building all the time. I told my wife it would make a great pub. She told me to forget about it because I was broke. I already owned Dee Dee’s lounge in Quincy. I still went out and borrowed a lot of money, and we opened in late July 1999.

Was Dee Dee’s the first restaurant you owned? Yes, I had been managing them for a long time. I used to work for the Chart House restaurant. They had a very good training program. I did a bunch of different jobs when I started training in Maryland. I moved on and travelled to San Diego continuing on as an assistant manager in the French Quarter in New Orleans.

You open one morning a year, Thanksgiving Day — how did that tradition start? Growing up in Quincy, my father and his friends used to get together for the game. Everyone would go before the game and then afterwards to catch up with friends. All the places close at 1 to let everyone get home for dinner. We get about 50-60 people each year.  

What is your favorite item on the menu? How did the menu evolve? It is Chicken Parmesan. I love our marinara sauce. It is not frozen like other places; it is homemade. We pound out our own chicken. When we started, it was a very limited menu. It was just sandwiches, appetizers, pizza and steak tips. We kept adding things. Now, we have a full menu with a tiny kitchen.

What new items can we look forward to seeing? I think you will see a few sautés as specials to see what people like. After a while, we will take a vote and put them on the menu.

You started a catering business a few years ago. What type of events do you handle? We do mostly family gatherings like graduations, wedding showers and birthday parties. Groups like the National Guard barracks in Norwell and women’s softball at the Hanson AA have also come to us for their events. We have also done a few small weddings.  

How different is the catering menu from the one in the restaurant? It is a smaller menu. We try to pick the appetizers that are people’s favorites. We also include some of our more popular entrees such as steak tips and chicken, broccoli and ziti. We prepare full and half pans, which can serve up to 25 people.  

I am working on a new menu and some packages for spring events like first communions. We want to make it easy for the host and do everything we can to take the pressure off of them. We will also set it up for you, so all you have to do is eat.

You have held many fundraising events and supported many causes; however, you have had a tight bond with the Pembroke Military Support Group. How did that bond form? I did it because of my father. During the last years of his life, I spent a lot of time with him at the VA. I really believe we need to pay the veterans back and show them we appreciate what they do for us. This includes their families, who also sacrifice. I had done work with other groups in Quincy when I owned my own place in Quincy and managed another place. This is something I believe in.