The warmth, the hospitality and of course, the delicious Italian dishes at the famed Primadonna restaurant in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, brought people together, launched friendships and created memories. And now, nearly 20 years after The Primadonna closed its doors, the bestselling memoir tracing the remarkable rise of The Primadonna’s owner, Joseph Costanzo Jr., is reconnecting people once again through heaping helpings of nostalgia.
On the Rocks, by Maria C. Palmer and Ruthie Robbins, welcomes readers to the best table in the house for a down-to-earth story about an underdog with a dream. It’s a story for anyone who has ever had to juggle a career and family; for anyone who ever built a business from the ground up; and for anyone with fond memories of a favorite dining destination.
“We did over 200 dinners that night. When food came out of the kitchen, people actually applauded,” Costanzo quipped during a recent interview, referring to one pivotal moment when a food critic’s newspaper review sent The Primadonna’s popularity into the stratosphere.
“We estimate that over the 18 years that he was in business that a little over a million customers came through our door,” Palmer said. “His character really helped to build the empire that the restaurant became.”
On the Rocks serves up entertaining stories of quirky characters, delectable dishes, great memories and enduring friendships from a time when dining out was an experience to savor. Along the way are celebrity encounters with the likes of Danny Aiello, Jamie Lee Curtis, Pat Sajak, Michael Keaton, Tommy Lasorda and many others.
Written in Costanzo’s voice, On the Rocks traces his unlikely rise from postal worker to owner of a nationally acclaimed restaurant, where the often two-hour wait times only served to brew deeper connections, adding to the familial appeal of a community hotspot united by Costanzo’s drive to turn the blue collar burb of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, into a sought-out destination for fine Italian dining.
But Costanzo’s dream comes at a cost, and as the story unfolds, readers follow him from the day-to-day frenzy of a wildly popular restaurant, through a failed attempt to run for public office, to life behind bars.
“He was at the top of his game when everything spiraled out of control,” Palmer reflected. “He really did the impossible. He took this nothing, failing business and turned it into this diamond in the rough. Then it all got pulled away. Just as fast as it rose, it fell.”
Costanzo’s story doesn’t end there, and that’s what makes this true tale of a hard-working underdog so universally appealing.
“We all make mistakes. We all fall,” Palmer added. “The most beautiful thing on a tiger is the stripes. And we earn those from the hard challenges we go through.”
About the Authors
Maria Costanzo Palmer is a writer and Page Turner Award Finalist for her co-authored book, On the Rocks. She is also a regular co-moderator for the Food Is Religion Club on Clubhouse. A former host on L.A. Talk Radio, she was recently featured on Food and Beverage Magazine Live, a nationally syndicated podcast, as well as iHeartRadio. Her writing has been published in OC87 Recovery Diaries, and she has made a number of media appearances.
Growing up as the oldest child of an award-winning restaurateur, Palmer unexpectedly became a daughter of the incarcerated. This experience ignited an interest in working for Get on the Bus, a nonprofit dedicated to uniting children with their incarcerated parents.
Ruthie Robbins is an award-winning educator who worked for the Montour School District in the suburbs of Pittsburgh and for Johns Hopkins Talent Development Secondary. Robbins now teaches English and Language Arts in Buffalo, New York. Well-known as co-creator of a popular amusement park interdisciplinary unit, she is currently working on other books and is preparing to launch The Writing Factory Online, a comprehensive writing program for middle schools.
For more information, please visit www.mariacpalmer.com or www.ruthierobbins.com; or connect with the authors on Facebook: www.facebook.com/joecostanzoprimadonna; Instagram: www.instagram.com/joecostanzoprimadonna; Twitter: www.twitter.com/mariacpalmer; Clubhouse: @maria.palmer; and LinkedIn: Maria Costanzo Palmer and Ruthie Robbins.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Rocks-Primadonna-Story-Maria-Palmer/dp/B0C67L5P2Y/
