All in the family: Tony Boffa's restaurant celebrates 70 years in business

Times Herald-Record

MIDDLETOWN - Donna Boffa Mabee was just three months old when her parents opened Tony Boffa's restaurant, an Italian eatery on Railroad Avenue, in 1951.

Antoinette, Mabee's mother, ran the front of the house, while Antonio "Tony," Mabee's father, ran the kitchen. There, Tony poured his heart into home-cooked meals for his patrons, like the famous meatball parm and huge 16-slice pizzas, right up until he passed away unexpectedly in December 2019 at the age of 89.

"He always said, 'We only had two tables and two nickels to rub together – but we took a chance,'" Mabee said of her late father. "At that time they were very poor; they made everything themselves like their pasta and their bread. I don’t think there were that many Italian restaurants around back then."

Tony Boffa's children, Donna Boffa Mabee and Anthony Boffa Jr., look at a portrait of their parents that hangs in one of the dining rooms of the family restaurant.

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Sunday marks the restaurant's 70th year in business. Behind its doors are priceless memories of family dinners shared together, and hundreds of patrons who helped support the business over the years.

Mabee's favorite times as a child were those family dinners. Every night, her parents would cook up something delicious and they'd all sit down to enjoy it together.

"We always made the time to have dinner as a family," Mabee said.

Donna Boffa Mabee, co-owner of Tony Boffa's Restaurant, with daughter Nannette Meurer. The family is selling the Middletown landmark restaurant but they're not rushing into anything. They say when the right buyers come along, they'll stick around to help train them.

And she has fond memories of time spent at the restaurant with her two brothers, Mario and Tony Jr., as kids.

"We all had to help out; everybody had to pitch in," Mabee said. "When our friends came in, they all had to do something, like peel garlic or sweep the floors."

As the restaurant grew, so did the family. Over the years, Tony and Antoinette's kids all started families of their own – and the grandchildren grew up around the restaurant just like Mabee and her brothers did. Now, the great-grandchildren are doing the same.

"I don’t think my mom and dad ever thought the restaurant would still be here after 70 years," Mabee said. "I think they’d be very proud that we’re still here, carrying on their traditions and recipes."

That's something they want to keep doing, despite the restaurant currently being up for sale. Mabee is looking forward to retirement, but is adamant that the right person must be involved in order for a sale to definitely happen.

Tony Boffa's daughter, Donna Boffa Mabee, and her brother Anthony in the original part of the restaurant. TIMES HERALD-RECORD FILE PHOTO

Her adult children both have other jobs, Mabee said. "The daily grind is what my mother and father loved about it. After so many years, it comes down to the hard work and the good old-fashioned cooking."

The Boffa and Mabee families are looking forward to celebrating the restaurant's 70th anniversary on Saturday, Oct. 16, featuring live music and specials. They welcome the community to stop in and share memories – as they have been the ones to help support the restaurant after all these years.

Mabee stresses that this is not a goodbye for the business – and said she looks forward to seeing what the future holds. Whatever it does, there will surely be Tony's famous meatballs involved.

Kristen Warfield is the food and business reporter for the Times Herald-Record. Find my stories here. Reach me at kwarfield@gannett.com.