|
Varallo's, Nashville's oldest restaurant, turns 100 years old today. Chili launched the century-long success.
Frank Varallo Sr., a traveling violinist from Viggiano, Italy, opened the eponymous restaurant in 1907 poised on the secret bean soup recipe given to him by a family he stayed with while bowing his way through South America. Varallo designated his spicy creation, "chile."
Frank Jr. took over after his father's death, back in 1929 when a bowl of chile was only 15 cents. The junior Varallo hand-typed the menus every morning and made a reputation for himself by writing a "thought of the day" at the bottom of each — phrases like "Education is what you get when reading the small print," which became known as "Thoughts from The Bottom of a Chili Bowl."
The fourth generation Todd Varallo mans the helm now. Frank Jr. asked his grandson to come aboard shortly after he graduated from high school, and Todd never looked back.
No fluke lasts a century, so you can put your money on this no thrills cafeteria. At Varallo’s, there are no fancy decorations or gourmet ingredients, just the promise of unforgettable soul food — turkey and dressing, fried catfish, barbecue pork, country-fried steak, meatloaf, Italian-style meatballs, fried chicken, and that's just the meat dishes.
Amid the bustle of the downtown crowd moving through the cafeteria line is Todd Varallo, patting customers' backs, teasing friends, bending for papers dropped by businessmen or sifting flour for his homemade pancakes.
|
