The “Singing Italian Chef” returned to his hometown of Crystal City on Feb. 18 to sign copies of his recently published “Home Party Cookbook.”
Silverio “Sil” Pagano was born in 1955, a year after his parents, Ugo and Esterina, immigrated from Italy to Crystal City. His grandfather, Biagio, had settled in Crystal City years before and worked for the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co.
“I was brought up in the Italian culture and language,” he said. “It was my first language.”
Silverio said he and his family, which included older brother, Biagio “Bill,” lived with his grandparents most of their lives.
Silverio said he learned how to cook from his mother and two grandmothers and was making tagliatelle pasta from scratch by age 6.
He said his first job was at Ponza Pizzeria, which his aunt and uncle, Maria and Tony Pagano, owned.
They chose the name to pay homage to their homeland, Ponza, Italy.
Silverio said he believes Ponza Pizzeria opened in Crystal City in the late 1950s and closed more than two decades later.
Silverio recalled his uncle traveling to Detroit to learn how to make Italian/American pizza.
At first, his uncle made pizzas in the family’s home and sold them in the neighborhood. Then he opened the pizzeria around September 1957. Within just a couple of years, the pizza business outgrew their first building in Crystal City and moved to Bailey Road.
Silverio said it was the first pizzeria in the Festus/Crystal City area and it served excellent pizza, as well as other food made from scratch.
“It was a family affair,” he said.
Silverio said he started working there when he was just 6 years old, folding pizza boxes for a penny a box on the weekends.
“I graduated to washing dishes and then to making pizzas,” he said.
Silverio said Saturday was the big pizza night. He remembers the kitchen faced the dining room and customers could watch his uncle toss the pizza dough in the busy kitchen.
When Silverio was 10 years old, Tony and wife Marie, who didn’t have children, closed the restaurant for a couple months to take a well-deserved vacation to Italy.
Silverio said his mother suggested he help her make and sell Italian bread in the neighborhood since he was out of work at the time.
He remembers getting up at 4:30 a.m. and helping his mother make 30 loaves of bread. He’d pile them in her laundry basket and tie it to his bicycle and then go door-to-door selling them for 50 cents a loaf.
One of his first stops was Bill Bradley, who’d soon play for the New York Knicks, then serve three terms in the U.S. Senate and run in the 2000 presidential primary against Al Gore.
Bill’s mother, Susan Bradley, would stop Silverio in the street, saying, “You haven’t been by the house lately … can you stop by today so I can buy some bread?”
Silverio said she’d laugh when Silverio responded, “I just sold four loaves to Bill yesterday.”
Silverio said his dream to become a chef happened during those early days working in the pizzeria and making and selling bread. After high school he attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York and not only spent a lot of time cooking, but also sharing meals with his aunt Mena in the Bronx.
He said his graduation from the Culinary Institute opened a lot of doors for him, but he always remembered his roots and what his mother and grandmothers and Aunt Mena taught him about Italian cuisine.
His career in the hospitality industry in New York, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Kansas spans 35 years.
He has been an executive chef for 24 years, including 10 years in the Marriott Educational Division at Washington University.
He said he has cooked for well-known personalities, like John Glenn, Carl Sagan, Harry Caray, Bob Costas, Charley Pride, Walter Payton, Richard Karns, Lee Ann Womack and Sara Evans. He said he prepared a couple of trays of food for former President George Bush while he was visiting Washington University.
Silverio said he has also taught cooking and grilling classes for Williams Sonoma, The Kansas City Culinary Center, Smoke n’ Fire, The Bisceglia Italian Cultural Center and Lukas Liquor’s Wine Bar. He recently created a 14-course dinner called “From Havana to Italia” with his friend, Chef Jasper Mirabile at Jasper’s.
Silverio is retired now and lives in Olathe, Kansas with his wife of 24 years, Debbie. They have four children and 11 grandchildren.
The cookbook
It was Debbie who suggested he write a book.
“My wife said, ‘With all the recipes you have, you should think of writing your own book,’” he said.
Silverio said it took him about eight years to put his ideas and recipes together. He published the book in November through Amazon where his cookbook is being sold for $19.99 in paperback or $9.99 for a Kindle version.
The inspiration for a “Home Party Cookbook” came from owning a catering business where he prepared food for small gatherings in people’s homes.
“I base it around having a party with friends,” he said.
The pandemic was also an inspiration.
“Everyone has been challenged due to the pandemic, but it has resulted in more gratitude for our family and friends, whom we now cherish more than ever!” he wrote in his book.
“The experience of having a party in your home, enjoying time with your family and friends and eating great food is such a joy and should be honored. A home party is a demonstration of love and creates a wonderful memory. Now more than ever, we need more good memories!
“Implementing a successful party may seem overwhelming and possibly a little scary, but your passion, excitement, and proper planning will demonstrate your love and make it very memorable.”
Silverio said many of his friends from Crystal City High School and those who have fond memories of Ponza Pizzeria have purchased his book, which includes recipes for grilled stuffed meatballs with smoked cheddar cheese; smoked salmon and crab dip; cheeseburger flatbread; Mama Rita’s Chili; Silverio’s Marinara Sauce; and chicken parmigiano.
He said he held his first book signing at the Crystal City Public Library last weekend as a thank-you to those who purchased the book. There, he shared with them Anginetti Lemon Cookies, and the recipe for them is in the cookbook, as is one for homemade bread.
Silverio said about 85 people stopped by to visit with him at the library.
He hopes to write another cookbook in the future.
Silverio also sings
Cooking isn’t Silverio’s only talent. Maestro Bill Hall recently asked him to join the American Opera Studio in Overland, Kansas.
Silverio said he inherited his love of singing from his mother, who wanted to be an opera singer.
“Rome Conservatory was going to send her to school for free, but my grandparents said, ‘No, you are going to be a teacher,” he said.
Silverio said he’s been singing as long as he’s been cooking and joined the opera studio in Kansas late last year.
He said he sings with them once a week and really enjoys it.