Savvy Seniors: Wrapping up the story on Bonvechios
Ron Pissacra doesn’t want this story to be about him. He prefers it to be about the history of the famous steak house, Bonvechios. However, Ron’s history is tied up in the history of the restaurant, and here’s how it goes: Ron’s grandfather, Innocente Pissocra, was sent from Italy to the United States as a youngster. To this day, no one knows anything about his background, except that as an adult, he had to return to Italy for mandatory military service. Upon his return, Innocente married, and worked in Alex Bonvechio’s general store in the coal mining town of Wainwright. Eventually he moved to Goshen and established his own store and his family, wife, Theresa and children Carl and Edith.
It was through Ron’s Aunt Edith that the Bonvechio connection began. Edith married Alex Bonvechio Sr., who was raised on a farm in Goshen, worked in the mines and in his father, John’s store, served in WWI in France as an infantry company bugler and built the Wainwright Poultry Farm.
“As a child, I remember going into the gigantic chicken barns where you might encounter as many rats looking for food as you did chickens,” Ron said.
Ron related that Alex stayed in the store business, selling chicken and eggs, until the 1930s when the Volstad Act was repealed and the nation became “wet” once again.
“He applied for a license to sell spirits by the drink in part of his store, and Alex’s Tavern was born," Ron said. “The bar soon became a popular watering hole and a chicken dinner menu was added. It wasn’t long before the menu grew to include the famous aged steaks and seafood for which Bonvechios was known.”
Other family members joined the venture, and in 1958, the business incorporated under the name of Bonvechio’s of Wainwright.
The restaurant played host to many varied people over the years, political leaders, movie stars, leaders of industry and travelers from all over the world. After Alex passed away unexpectedly in 1963, the family kept the business until 1984. When they sold it, it was never the same, and in 2001 the building was razed; the end of an era.
And where was Ron during all this? The 91-year-old grew up in Goshen, graduated from Midvale High School, Muskingum College and University of Pittsburgh with a business degree.
“I wanted to pursue retail,” he said. “I wanted to be a manager of a major department store, but I ended up in real estate until I retired.”
He married Marilyn Graff, raised three children, Denise Kilgore, Julie Williams and Jeffrey, ending up with five grandchildren and two greats. In 1955 he enlisted in the army.
“The captain asked me if I would like to be a cook,” he said, “and I thought that would be great so I went to school and cooked for two years in the service. I still love to cook. My favorite thing to make is all kinds of soup.”
Now doesn’t that kind of tie everything together?
(Editor's note: If you know of a senior who is unique and deserves a story, please e-mail Lee Elliott at leeadirects@roadrunner.com. Please include contact information so she can share their story with our readers.)
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Savvy Seniors: Wrapping up the story on Bonvechios
