7 BRONX WEEKLY April 19, 2020 www.BXTimes.com
Giovanni’s to shutter at end of month
BY JASON COHEN
For four decades,
Giovanni’s has been a
staple in the Pelham
Bay Park community.
Sadly, it will be shuttering
its doors at the end
of the month.
Located at 3209
Westchester Ave., the
restaurant is closing
April 26 after 40 years.
“Over the past 40
years every family
member has worked
there,” said Debbie
Scargoni, who owns
the eatery with her husband
Luigi.
In 1979 Luigi and his
brother Anthony bought
Giovanni’s from the
previous owner when it
was formerly located at
3227 Westchester
Ave.
The duo emigrated
to America from Italy
at ages 15 and 11. They
worked various jobs in
the food industry, including
at a luncheonette
owned by Debbie’s
father, which is where
he met his future wife.
In 1990, the restaurant
moved to its current
location.
Throughout the
years, they became a big
part of the community,
Scargoni explained.
Their family grew up
there and it was like a
second home for many
people. She recalled
how parents brought
their kids there and
years later, those kids
came with their own.
“They all love our
sauce,” she said. “Everybody
goes crazy for
our chicken parm and
baked rigatoni.”
In fact, their family
celebrated the major
holidays at the eatery
and about a decade ago,
began inviting people
from the neighborhood
to their annual New
Year’s Day bash.
They also sponsored
journals for schools and
did whatever they could
to help others.
“My husband, he’s
not one with words,
but he likes to give to
the community,” she
stressed.
Things changed in
2008 when not only did
the recession hit, but
Anthony got sick and
passed away a year
later.
It was diffi cult for the
business and the family,
Scargoni said. But, they
persevered and she began
to work in the store
more often, along with
their twin sons, Luigi
and Silverio, 31.
“It was tough the loss
of his brother,” Scargoni
said.
But, Luigi, 66, began
talking about retirement
last summer.
Forty years of non-stop
work was enough. They
own the building and
wanted to sell.
In October, their
plans hit a bump in
the road when he suffered
a stroke. He is
slowly recovering,
but COVID-19 was the
straw that broke the
camel’s back.
“My goal was to wait
until we were sold,”
Scargoni explained.
Being open now
during the crisis doing
takeout and delivery,
they are barely
breaking even. While
customers are grateful
for their food, Scargoni
knows it’s time for
a new chapter.
Their goal is to sell
the store once things
return to normalcy.
They plan to enjoy
life, help her husband
get better, spend time
with their kids and
visit Italy, where they
have a summer home.
“It seems like every
day is more of an
emotional thing, especially
when customers
come in and start talking
about it closing,”
she said.
Brothers Luigi and Anthony Scargoni, who bought Giovanni’s in 1979.
Photo courtesy Debbie Scargoni
Public charter school for impoverished students overcomes challenges of remote instruction
BY JASON COHEN
A school located in one
of the poorest Congressional
districts in the nation
has made a smooth transition
to virtual learning.
Mott Haven Academy
Charter School at 170
Brown Pl., a K-8 public
charter school, serves students
experiencing homelessness,
poverty and food
insecurity. Two-thirds of
its students are in foster
care or receive services
through the city’s child
welfare system.
Since shuttering its
doors on March 13, it
has managed to successfully
provide quality remote
learning education
to its students amidst the
COVID-19 crisis. The staff
gave Chromebooks to 402
students and also purchased
Wi-Fi hotspots for
those that needed it.
“I’ve been so impressed
with the creativity for our
students and the creativity
of Haven’s teaching team,”
said Mott Haven’s Head of
School and Founder Jessica
Nauiokas. “I think the
families have genuinely
appreciated our desire and
willingness to be as consistent
with what we’re doing.”
Every child has a
designated staff member
they can call, text or
email, while teachers use
platforms like Facebook
and Google Classroom
to hold daily morning
check-ins with students.
Additionally, hundreds
of hot meals have been
distributed to students,
while families are being
checked upon daily to ensure
long-term food and
childcare needs are met.
Nauiokas explained
while technology is important,
they want kids
do activities besides being
on the Chromebook
all day. They may have
them read a book or
work on a project with a
sibling.
“We’re really trying
to make the assignments
meaningful,” she said.
The school has also
supported the mental
health of the kids. Mott
Haven developed a family
support system for its
social workers and counselors,
who continue to
respond to individual
crisis needs by offering
teletherapy.
According to Nauiokas,
the staff holds
weekly Zoom meetings
and speaks with each
other every day. She
noted they were looking
forward to the planned
spring break but kept a
positive attitude when
the state canceled
it.
One person that has
noticed the effort put
forth by the teachers is
Rocio Galvan, who has
four kids at the school.
Galvan commended Haven
for everything it has
done in the past month.
“If it wasn’t for Haven
I couldn’t do it,” Galvan
said. “This is what Haven
is about. You’re going
to get all the help you
need.”
Fortunately, her kids
know how to use the laptops,
which makes things
a bit easier for her. She
noted how one of her
children has a learning
issue, yet the school has
been very accommodating
and has still provided
his speech therapy.
At fi rst she was a bit
nervous about the whole
process but now is comfortable.
“I just think Haven
is amazing,” she
stressed. “We’ve made it
through.”
Mott Haven’s Head of School and founder, Jessica Nauiokas
Photo courtesy Mott Haven Academy Charter School
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