Over the course of writing these blog entries, several additional downtown Holyoke eateries have been explored. Please feel free to use the search bar on the homepage, and you’ll discover well-known establishments such as Gleason’s Rathskeller, the Golden Lemon, the Pig’s Ear, Nick’s Nest, Uncle Milties, the Log Cabin, the White Restaurant, the Warsaw, and the P. O. Spa, to name a few. Diners such as the Puritan and Ross, and seasonal restaurants such as the In-We-Go are also included. I hope to include the Yankee Pedlar and the Delaney House in a future edition of Restaurant Week.
Today’s edition tells the story of Emilio Orlandi and Orlandi’s Restaurant. Emilio Paul Orlandi was a native of Vigevano, Pavia Province, Italy. His parents and 6 siblings arrived in the United States about 1911, and settled in Holyoke. Due to his mother’s health issues, she and 3 of his siblings, Frank, Florence, and Tina, returned to Italy in 1922. Emilio, along with his father, Henry, and 3 other children, Rose, Louis, and Amelia, remained in Holyoke.
Emilio attended the Park Street School and later also attended evening classes. In 1929, he and his spouse, Lucy (Marinello) Orlandi, opened a confectionery store at 295 Appleton Street. Confectionery stores typically carried candy, fruits, and vegetables, and offered counter service for lunches and ice cream.
In January 1935, the couple announced the opening of Orlandi’s Luncheonette at the confectionery location. The eatery offered lunches, sandwiches, and specialty dishes. In 1937, the restaurant was updated to include booth service and was serving full meals.
The Orlandis retired on September 2, 1945, having sold the restaurant at 295 Appleton Street to Joseph Lombardi and Frank Torlai. The eatery was renamed Toscani Restaurant.
However, this was not the end for Orlandi’s Luncheonette. Emilio Orlandi reentered the restaurant industry in June 1947, opening Orlandi’s Food Shoppe at 283 1/2 Maple Street. This was the site vacated by The Maples when it relocated to 268-270 Maple Street across from the Strand Theater. Lunches, dinners, and fountain service were offered in the space that the Orlandis had updated, which also featured a large kitchen area. The restaurant served until midnight on weekdays.
The Orlandis sold the restaurant in 1962, and it was renamed the Mid-Town Restaurant, a story forthcoming.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
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