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In 1937, the partners at “New Joe’s”
had a falling out. One of the
partners teamed up with Louis J.
Rocca and Ante Rodin and started a
restaurant at 144 Taylor Street in
San Francisco. He insisted he was
“The Original” so they called the
new restaurant “Original Joe’s”. The
restaurant became extremely popular.
On May 24, 1956, Louis J. Rocca,
Louis J. Rocca, Jr. (Babe), Arthur
Tortore (Otto) and Anthony Caramagno
(Nino) opened “Original Joe’s” in
San Jose. The four partners wanted
to bring an authentic San Francisco
restaurant to the South Bay. They
were convinced that if they could
keep it authentic, they could serve
the community by producing their
traditional home-style
Italian-American cuisine. Their
desire was so great that they
actually transported San Francisco
French bread via Greyhound bus
everyday for the first two years of
operation.
In the early 1970’s, downtown San
Jose started to flounder. Businesses
were relocating to the outskirts of
town. Original Joe’s became one of
the cornerstones for an ever
changing downtown. As the genres of
food have changed over the years,
Original Joe’s maintains it
traditional roots. Still owned and
operated by the Rocca Family,
Original Joe’s continues to strive
to replicate the dining experience
that people have enjoyed for over 51
years.
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