The family story behind my small-group Little Italy and Chinatown food tour in New York City

My grandparents from Naples wiht their harvest at their New Jersey farm, late 1960s/early 1970s

Welcome to Tom's New York

I wanted to share a little about my background—and how it led me to create my small-group food tour of Little Italy and Chinatown here in New York City.

I’m a native New Yorker, born in Queens. My parents were born here too, but my grandparents came from Naples and Sicily during the peak years of Italian immigration. A big part of my childhood was spent on my grandparents’ farm in New Jersey.

My grandfather, Pasquale—Patsy—was a carpenter in the city during the week, and on weekends he’d drive out in his 1955 Buick. My grandmother Anna stayed there through the summer, hosting what felt like a constantly rotating cast of family.

It was an incredible place to grow up. To us kids, the property felt endless. There was the farm, and beyond that, a wooded area near a brook that always seemed farther away than it actually was.

There were always old bicycles lying around in various states of disrepair. A short ride away was Farrington Lake—and even more importantly, the general store, which stocked bait, snacks, sodas, and for us, the real prize: balsa wood airplane gliders.

Patsy and Anna, my grandparents, with his sister Concetta, at the farm

Cow Bells and Giambotta (jam-Boh-tah) and peaches

In  the kitchen, my grandmother kept a pair of old copper cowbells and when it was time fir dinner she (or us kids if we got to it first) would ring the bells letting everyone know it was time for dinner. We had wonderful food all the time - fresh pasta and sauce, salads, and plenty of vegetables.

Close to my heart was a Neapolitan summer stew called giambotta, made from from eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, potato, onion, tomatoes, garlic, basil, and tomatoes.

We had many fruit trees and to this day I associate sweet peaches with my time at The Country, which is what we called the farm.

Gathering the harvest. I was a peach of a kid! (holding the basket).

Why   Mom & Pop Shops?

When someone owns a small business, everything is on the line. Their name, their reputation, their livelihood.

They don’t cut corners. They use better ingredients, take more care, and hold themselves to a higher standard. My dad had a donut shop and he and my mother stressed the importance of buying better flour, and of changing the oil more frequently even than recommended. You don't get this with cookie-cutter chains.

That’s what I grew up around. And it’s what I try to show people when I walk them through Little Italy and Chinatown today.

The always-cheerful Maria at DiPalo Fine Foods, founded by her grandfather and celebrating its 101 year anniversary in 2026