After decades making pizza pies and rice balls, La Bella Roma in Paramus is being sold
PARAMUS — After nearly 50 years in business, the owners of La Bella Roma pizzeria are selling the popular local eatery.
Michael Fiorino, who immigrated from Italy in 1954, had a dream to create a "life and legacy" for himself and his family, which led him to open La Bella Roma in 1974, said his sons Nick and Vita Fiorino in a letter to the community.
"The business quickly grew with regulars coming in for morning coffee and breakfast, high school students walking in for a plain slice and soda during lunch and busy Friday nights filled with margarita pies and rice balls," said the Fiorino brothers in the letter.
The Fiorino brothers made the decision to continue running the business in 1992 on the foundation built by their father, and many "friendly faces, old and new, entered the doors helping to keep this legacy alive."
Michael, however, died last January, leading the family to consider difficult decisions, said the Fiorino brothers in the letter.
"While this decision does not come easy, we felt it was time," they wrote. "On behalf of our father and families, we would like to thank our most loyal customers for your continued support throughout the years."
They said they hoped to see the restaurant grow under new ownership.
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The Fiorinos' decision to sell has struck a chord in the community, with 136 comments as of Friday afternoon sharing memories of La Bella Roma on Mayor Richard LaBarbiera's Facebook page, where the letter was posted.
"My first pizza 40-plus years ago which I still consider the gold standard. My first and last stops on every trip back to NJ," read one.
LaBarbiera himself once worked as a cashier at La Bella Roma in the early 1980s. Back then, pizza pies were about $4 while individual slices were 75 cents, he said.
"It was a tremendous life learning experience," LaBarbiera said. "It was one of my first exposures to the work world and I couldn't ask for a better place as good as La Bella Roma."
Stephanie Noda is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: noda@northjersey.com
Twitter: @snoda11
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: La Bella Roma pizza in Paramus NJ being sold after 50 years business
