Page 9 - Reedley Exponent 12-13-18 E-edition

The Reedley Exponent PB anorama
Locals brave the cold for annual electrical parade in downtown
See B8
Section | Thursday, December 13, 2018 www.reedleyexponent.com
Bringing Christmas cheer to Palm Village
Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654
The View From Here
I would like to thank Dawn and Martin Bar- cellos for sharing their story with me on Dec. 6. They have a nice restau- rant, Valen- tino's Pizzeria
Juanita Adame
Immanuel students present a number of songs for residents
Photos Contributed
ABOVE: FirstgradestudentsfromImmanuelSchoolsinReedleysangChristmascarolstoresidentsat PalmVillagehomesonDec.5.Thestudentswerefromtheclass- rooms of teachers; Mrs. Martens and Mrs. Goetz.
and Italian
Restaurant, in
downtown Reedley and they will be celebrating 55 years in busi- ness, wow congratulations to you both.
As I interviewed the couple, I learned that besides the Italian dishes they make at Valentino's they also make a New York steak.
I shared with the couple that the New York steak is one of my favorite cuts of meat. I like the steak cooked medium, or medium rare. I am not yet brave enough to eat it rare. I have a Canadian friend who eats his steaks rare, and I can say, it's just not for me, at least not yet.
Martin mentioned to me that he likes his steaks cooked rare as well. There must be something I don't know because many people have told me that's the best way to enjoy a steak especially a filet mignon.
So maybe someday I'll try it rare. however, I am just not there yet. After our conversation about steak, I decided to do a little re- search on how steaks are cooked and found that rare steaks should be warm through the center and lightly charred on the outside.
SeeCOLUMN pageB2
Photos Contributed
Students help to decorate the Christ- mas tree for Palm Village residents.
Photo Contributed
ABOVE: Allison Tos (purple shirt) hands over a Christmas card to a resident from Palm Village on the afternoon of Dec. 5.
Local restaurant celebrates 55 years in business
Photo Juanita Adame / The Exponent
ABOVE: Martin (sitting) and his wife Dawn posed for a photo on the afternoon of Dec. 6. The pair is celebrating the 55th year anniversary for their restaurant, "Valentino's" located on G St. in downtown Reedley.
Photo Contributed
ABOVE: A photo of the open kitchen alongside the dining area at Valentino's. Martin Barcellos said he is proud of the open kitchen because patrons can see as he cooks meals and talks to staff.
By Juanita Adame
Juanita@midvalleypublishing.com
Take a drive down G Street in Reedley and it's easy to spot- a large neon sign, red in color, with the name "Valentino's" displayed in the window.
Inside the doors of Valentino's Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant, one can find Martin Barcellos cooking in the open kitchen that he's so proud of, as his wife Dawn talks to custom- ers making sure their food is cooked to perfection.
"As restaurant owners that's one of those things that we know people care about- the efforts we put into this," said Dawn.
"When they stop and visit with us or when they send someone our way because they perhaps don't know where to go and eat, and they send them here, that's such a compliment."
The couple is celebrating the restaurant's 55th anniversary this month. They said the journey to reach this milestone has not always been easy, but it's definitely been worth it.
"Is restaurant easy? Restaurant is never easy," said Dawn. "But we knew that going into this. I think it shows that if you are an honest busi- ness and you are providing quality meals that you will endure even the hard times, and Valentino's has been
through some ups and downs and every area in between. So when we look back at where we've been we feel blessed to be where we are now."
Martin said the world of culinary
art has always been a constant in his life.
"I have no formal training, I start- ed working in the restaurant back in 1975," he said. "Working for my aunt and uncle when they were down on Manning, I worked for them for 5 years. I then left and I went to Ker- man and opened an Italian deli over there."
Martin added that the restaurant was originally started by Joe Valen- tino, his uncle, and Joe's wife, Silvia back in 1963.
"My uncle who originally started the restaurant was a masonry along with my grandfather," he said.
"They did the curb and gutter at
the college here, at West Hills, COS, Fresno City, did a lot of work for the city of Fresno. They did the initial work for the Mennonite Church. As my grandfather got older, he said he didn't want to do that work anymore, so my uncle decided to retire."
After Joe's retirement, Martin said that Joe and Silvia headed to San Diego. The couple stayed there for about a month to learn all about the Italian restaurant business.
"He learned everything he could learn in that month and purchased the building in town, remodeled and
SeeVALENTINO'S pageB8
Juanita Adame / The Exponent
ABOVE: The first dollar made by Joe Valentino back in 1963 is displayed at the entrance of the restaurant along with the first dollar (BELOW) made by the Barcellos' when they took over.
“Is restaurant easy? No, restaurant is never easy, but it's worth it"
– Dawn Barcellos Valentino's