Papa Joe’s has become a Brooksville Institution. In the eyes of many who drive by Brooksville on Interstate 75, Brooksville is Papa Joe’s. The success of the restaurant has much to do with Joe and Donna Giarratana’s 34 years of hard work and generosity. It is also because of this that they were able to rebuild after an electrical fire destroyed their original restaurant back in January of 2014.
Papa Joe’s has been extensively involved in community outreach including Habitat for Humanity, The Arc Foundation, and New Generation. They have received The Arc’s Employer/Volunteer of the Year Award and have employed clients of The Arc. For all three years of The Arc’s Hurricane Hooplah Event, Papa Joe and staff volunteered. Papa Joe and Mama Donna have their own cooking show produced by Hernando County Government Broadcasting in which they feature local charitable organizations. They have been involved in Cook Off Competitions between local high schools and established a scholarship foundation. The Giarratanas do an annual 99 cent pasta dinner charity benefit. Mark Berry, Executive Director of The Arc Nature Coast, sums it up best, “The truth is you could dig and dig and dig and you’d never be able to find all the charitable things that Joe’s done.”
Mr. Berry and Nancy Stubbs Development Director of The Arc Nature Coast had lunch at Papa Joe’s the day before the fire and made it a point to be back for lunch opening day. Support from the community Papa Joe’s has served for the past three decades played a crucial role in the rebuilding process. The dedication of their customers gave them the drive to rebuild. Mrs. Giarratana “Mama Donna” explained that some of her customers drive long distances just to eat at Papa Joe’s and they also have customers that have been eating at the restaurant every day for many years. They did not want to let them down.
Richard Neuhofer and his co-workers eat lunch at Papa Joe’s several times a week. He recalled a time when he and his friends had ordered iced tea that tasted bad. He explained that when Papa Joe made the iced tea he used salt instead of sugar, but they still keep coming back because the food is great. When they come in, they jokingly remind Papa Joe that they don’t want any salt in their tea.
Customer Sonja Love explained that eating at Papa Joe’s is just like eating at home. The food is wonderful and the staff is always friendly. She and her friend Goldie also have made Papa Joe’s a tradition.
The community gave much support in the days immediately following the fire. Several local businesses put together a community garage sale to provide funding for the restaurant’s recovery. The community also contributed to an employee relief fund. Many staff were able to find new positions through a facebook page created to get employees hired at other local businesses. Papa Joe’s was able to rehire 75% of their former staff and those who did not come back all had found jobs they were happy with.
For construction of the new restaurant the Giarratanas used a local general contractor Bob Showalter and mostly local subcontractors including Matt Spicer concrete, Blockz Masonry, Shiloh Construction, Fosters Roofing, C&C Window, Ledington Stucco, Smyth Painting, Terry Mcrae Carpentry, Day Metals, Butler A/C, AC Plumbing, Sutton Electric, Linus Alarm, Treverton Fire Sprinklers, Accurate Drywall, Artisians Attic, Cliffs Septic, Daniel Construction, Coffin & McLean surveyors, Epoxy Flooring Solutions, Dave’s Tile, Smart Interiors, Creative Poly Designs, and Nicholson Engineering Associates. Customer Teresa Goodwin-Nemes described the finish product, “I must say I never thought Papa Joe’s could get any better, but I was wrong. The place looks absolutely amazing, I felt as though I was in Italy.”
The Papa Joe’s Grand Opening is set for March 17th .
