Cheers, Sam: The man behind Sammy's Place in Cathedral City dies at 79

Restaurant patrons who have visited Sammy’s Place in Cathedral City and ordered “Sammy’s tomatoes” will recall having its co-owner, Salvatore "Sam" Pace, come out to their tables and make the dish for them tableside.

As he would sprinkle Parmesan cheese onto the meal, he would always say, “A little snow on the roof,” said Scott Robertson, co-owner of Sammy’s Place and Pace’s friend for around 18 years.

“Just little things like that — they’ll be very, very missed,” Robertson said.

Pace, well known in Cathedral City as both a business owner and volunteer, died on Sept. 9 from health complications. He was 79. As community and family members mourn him, they recall his charisma and generosity toward the people in his life.

Scott Robinson, CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Cathedral City, knew Pace for around 17 years.

Pace had been a board member, volunteer and mentor with the group for over 15 years. He also founded Sammy’s International Meatball Festival to raise money for the Boys & Girls Club. It will be held for the 10th time Sunday in his honor. (Tickets and information are at BgcCCity.org.)

Robinson said Pace used his restaurant to support the community and always put caring for others above himself.

“He hosted feedings, like during COVID he hosted a drive-thru Thanksgiving meal feeding for all the needy families in the community and cars were lined up around the block to come and get this warm-cooked meal and experience his generosity,” Robinson said.

He added that Pace taught a program to teach kids to cook, using ingredients from the Boys & Girls Club's garden. That led to the children starting their own product line of tapenades and pasta sauces to sell at festivals.

“He gave them all skills to be able to go off and work in the industry,” Robinson said.

Pace’s son, Steve Pace, also remembers the role his father played at his restaurant. He described it as where Pace “shined.”

“Everybody who walked in the restaurant, he treated as family and he dressed to the nines and suit and tie and his gold pinky ring and gold chain and put on a show for everybody,” he said. “He would make his famous 'Sammy's tomatoes' tableside and would talk and laugh with all the patrons.”

Pace was of Italian heritage, according to his son. He said his late father was known for always saying, "Cin cin" — cheers in Italian — during toasts and "Hey, how you doin'?" He'll miss talking to him everyday at 9 a.m.

He was an amazing father and mentor, he said.

"He was always around for me ... and then his stepson Jeff and his other stepchildren," Steve Pace said.

“We often called him OG, because … his suits and stuff. Everything was always perfect,” added Jeff Seltzer, Pace’s stepson.

Seltzer said Pace was a people person, making anyone feel welcomed and loved.

“When he talked to you, he looked you in the eyes and you always had an audience with him, no matter what was going on,” he said.

Pace's restaurant will continue to operate. And Robertson, who called Pace "Pops," said it's their restaurant and will always be "Sammy's Place."

He described his late business partner as one of the best restaurateurs he knew. Before Sammy’s Place, Pace also partially-owned Sammy G’s Tuscan Grill in Palm Springs and Trilussa in Cathedral City before leaving the businesses.

Robertson remembered a running joke between the two regarding the recipe for the cookies that got served with the check at one of Pace’s former restaurants.

“When I left, I was like 'Hey — Sam, man, who makes those cookies?' and he's like, 'Oh, we make them here in house.' I was like, 'Well, I think they need a little bit more amaretto,' and he would kind of laugh and shrug it off.”

Robertson, a chef, would continually ask Pace for the recipe to improve it, but Pace would just respond with one of his well-known sayings: “When you a good-a boy, I give you the recipe.”

Years later, Robertson ran into Pace at the market with those exact cookies in his shopping cart.

“I look at him, I’m like ‘Are you kidding me, dude?’ and he looked at me, gave me that big old Sammy smile and he goes, ‘Well, you a good-a boy, now I give you the recipe,'" he said.

Pace’s funeral was held last week at St. Benedict Church in Montebello, east of Los Angeles, and a “local celebration of life” was held on Sept. 25 at the Boys & Girls Club of Cathedral City. He is survived by several family members, including his son Steve Pace, stepson Jeff Seltzer and grandsons Gavin and Riley Pace.

Ani Gasparyan covers the western Coachella Valley cities of Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City. Reach her at ani.gasparyan@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Founder of Cathedral City's Sammy's Place, meatball festival dies