20060426 Lunch at Illiano Family J&P Pizza, Taylorsville MD

Lunch at Illiano Family J&P Pizza in Taylorsville MD

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Lunch today was at the Illiano Family’s (www.illianopizza.com) latest restaurant. It is located in Taylorsville, at the intersection of Rte 27 and Rte 26 in southern Carroll County Maryland.

The drawing, “Clem’s Firewood” is the view of the intersection from my table.

They have excellent food, but today I just wanted to eat and run, so I had the Greek salad. My server was Katie P. She used to work at Baugher’s in Westminster, another one of my favorite restaurants.

My Mom’s side of my family is from the Taylorsville – Mt. Airy part of southern Carroll County – the “Wright” family. (And the Warfield, Gilliss, Farver and Haines families…)

The family church, since 1879, is there in Taylorsville, the Taylorsville United Methodist Church. I do not know where the family church was before then. I stopped by and visited my grandfather, William Earl Wright and some other family members, after lunch.

Why not stop by the next time you are in the area? They have excellent food, the restaurant is locally owned and Frank Illiano is a strong supporter of the local community. The money you spend stays in the community.

Frank Illiano, his Family and the History of New York J&P Pizza

The history of New York J&P Pizza, below, is taken off their website, http://www.illianopizza.com/history.php, on April 26, 2006:

“

Growing up in a small Italian town with his six brothers and five sisters, young Francesco Illiano had two great passions – soccer and restaurants.

At just eight years of age he was spending his afternoons as a right defender, taking the ball away from the opposing team’s best striker, and his evenings washing dishes in the midst of a bustling bistro kitchen.

Shortly after his 12th birthday, and already developing the skills of an expert pizza chef, he left home to live with an older sister and work full time in a traditional Italian family restaurant.

Then, in his early twenties, following a spell in the Merchant Marine traveling the waterways of the Mediterranean and Northern Africa, he arrived in the United States to work at a friend’s restaurant.

In 1983 he took ownership of a small Westminster, Maryland pizzeria and sub shop known as “New York J&P Pizza” – and the first chapter of this great American success story had been written.

Today, Frank Illiano remains just as passionate about his restaurants – with New York J&P Pizza now one of central Maryland’s most successful family restaurant chains – and is never happier than when coaching a soccer team with his young son Gennaro playing right defender.

The original Westminster restaurant is gone but five New York J & P Pizza locations in Carroll, Frederick and Montgomery counties continue the tradition of authentic Italian cooking in a true family atmosphere.

Frank, his wife Miia and their two older children Amber and Randy are all involved in running New York J & P Pizza’s Mt Airy location. The Hampstead restaurant, which opened on 5th December 1983, is run by Frank’s older brother Augusto; Younger brother Tony runs the Spring Ridge location; Miia’s mother Tina is in charge in Damascus and her cousin Leho in Finksburg.

In the spring of 2005, a sixth J & P Pizza was added to the fold – with the addition of the Taylorsville location. In a remarkably quick turn-around, Frank and his team were able to transform an existing restaurant into the newest J&P Pizza – with the great food and great atmosphere that J&P patrons have come to expect. The Taylorsville location – situated on the busy corner of Routes 26 & 27 – also features a Crown gas station with breakfast hours for coffee, sandwiches and doughnuts.

”

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org

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