FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 9, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 17
Restaurateur Vincenzo Cerbone remembered for ‘immeasurable’ impact on LIC
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e Long Island City community
is mourning the loss of restaurateur
Vincenzo Cerbone, who
died this week aft er a brief illness
just a few days shy of his 91st
birthday, according to his family.
Cerbone and his wife Ida
owned Manducatis Restaurant
on the corner of Jackson Avenue
and 47th Avenue for nearly a
half-century, where he enjoyed
being with his family and serving
“beautiful people,” which is
how he described his customers
through the years.
Vincenzo and Ida Cerbone
opened Manducatis Restaurant
on Christmas Day, 1976, aft er
they returned to the United
States following a long, protracted
stay in Italy, where Ida was
born in Naples and Vincenzo
was raised in a small town in
the Cassino region. Th ey started
small with one room in the restaurant
and a refrigerator from
their own apartment along with
the pots and pans that Ida had
received at her bridal shower.
In the beginning, Ida ran the
kitchen alone while Vincenzo
ran the bar and served the
patrons.
“You do what you know,”
became his mantra as the restaurant
expanded with the addition
of two comfortable dining
rooms, one with brick walls and
an upright piano decked with
wine bottles.
Business picked up in the 1980s
and the Cerbone children began
to wait tables, including their
daughter Gianna Cerbone-Teoli,
who went on to open Manducatis
Rustica on Vernon Avenue.
“He was just an amazing man.
Aft er losing his mother and three
siblings in the 1930s, he served in
the Carabinieri in Italy and then
in the First Infantry Division in
the U.S. Army, the Big Red One,”
Cerbone-Teoli said. “He was a
legend and he leaves a legacy of
love behind him here in America
and in Italy.”
She added that Manducatis
became a home away from home
for generations of Long Island
City families, as well as politicians
and entertainers, and her
father would do anything to help
his neighbors.
“Th ere is no greater feeling
than to see the patrons that
dated at Manducatis come in
with grandchildren,” the couple
wrote on their restaurant’s website.
“It makes our uphill beginnings
worthwhile. Th e years have
fl own by and through the rushes
and quiet spells that very oft en
ensue at such a business, we still
work essentially the same.”
Vincenzo Cerbone and his
family were at the very heart of
Long Island City for decades,
and his absence will be felt deeply,
community leaders said.
“Th e Hunters Point Civic
Association is deeply saddened
by the passing of Vincenzo
Cerbone, his impact and dedication
to our neighborhood was
immeasurable,” the civic group
said. “Th is is a deep loss for our
community. We sincerely appreciate
all his service.”
His wake will be held Sunday,
Dec. 5, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Hess
Miller Funeral Home, located
at 64-19 Metropolitan Ave. in
Middle Village. Th e Mass will be
held Monday, Dec. 6, at 11 a.m.
at St. Mary’s Church, located at
1008 49th Ave. in Long Island
City. His burial will be in Italy.
“Mr. and Mrs. Cerbone planted
their fl ag in Long Island City
and made it a home not just for
their family, but for hundreds
of New Yorkers who came to
love the neighborhood at their
generous table,” LIC Partnership
President Elizabeth Lusskin said.
“We thank them both for all they
have done to make LIC blossom,
and our deep condolences go out
to his wonderful family.”
Photo via REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
Vincenzo Cerbone, with his wife Ida, owned Manductis Restaurant in Long Island City since 1977.
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