Melissa Gorga Thought Joe Gorga Was "Out of His Mind" When He Decided to Open a Restaurant
The Garden State mom and entrepreneur gets real about her hubby's eatery.
When it came time to honor his late mother, Joe Gorga decided to open a restaurant to pay homage to her and her legacy in the kitchen. And we learned more about his surprising decision on Wednesday's The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Being an entrepreneur and business owner is nothing new for his wife, Melissa Gorga. She, of course, has her own boutique, Envy. But, she was initially less than enthused when her husband decided to add restaurateur to his already busy schedule.
She recently opened up about his foray into the food industry when she stopped by The Daily Dish offices earlier this month. You can hear more from her on that subject in the video above.
Joe teamed up with his sister, Teresa Giudice, (and, yes, Melissa) earlier this year to launch Gorga's Homemade Pasta & Pizza. The eatery is located in East Hanover, New Jersey and officially opened back in May, just two months after their mom, Antonia, died in March. “My mother loved to cook; it was like her drug,” Joe told PEOPLE at the private opening party for the restaurant at the time. “I always told her I was gonna open up a restaurant for her. Then I got busy. While I signed a contract on this place we lost her. So this is for her.”
Dishes on the menu come from Teresa's cookbook Fabulicious; other options are named after family members: Melissa's Harvest Salad, Little Joey's Chicken Piccata, Nonna’s Meatballs, Gabriella’s Chicken Parmesan, and Gia's Chicken Milanese. Also, the sauce can be purchased through the restaurant's website, for those you can't make it to the Garden State. Pastas will soon be available to purchase soon, as well. “We wanted to share her recipes with the world,” Teresa added at the time.
Below, Joe opens up more about the loss of his mother.
