When Amedeo Richard “Dick” DeAngelis left his Italian surroundings of Reading, Penn., for Raleigh almost 60 years ago, he felt the absence of Italian eateries was simply unacceptable.
Since childhood, DeAngelis had been surrounded by good food. His parents owned and operated an Italian grocery store in downtown Reading, while the rest of the family lived upstairs.
“It was the perfect Italian stereotype,” Dave Parker, husband of Jill DeAngelis Parker said.
Yet, the “perfect stereotype” was interrupted when DeAngelis received a football scholarship to play for N.C. State. Although he had to leave the comfort of his familial environment, much of his entrepreneurial success was due to his football career and love of the game.
“Amedeo used to say, ‘Raleigh’s idea of Italian was ketchup dumped on bread,'” Jill DeAngelis Parker, daughter of Amedeo DeAngelis said.
DeAngelis played for the Wolfpack starting in 1954, becoming one of the key players in the school’s first ACC football championship of 1957 under Coach Earle Edwards. Upon graduation, DeAngelis endeavored to continue his football career and ventured as far north as his Pennsylvania hometown.
It didn’t take long for DeAngelis to find himself back in the Wolfpack family, where he assumed Assistant Coach Position to Head Coach Lou Holtz. Although leaving home to jumpstart his career also meant departing from the rest of the family, their influences and homemade Italian recipes stuck with him. Nostalgia couldn’t hold DeAngelis back from building a business upon what he was good at — cooking up mouth-watering Italian fare and creating a sense of undeniable affinity with everyone he comes across.
Of course, DeAngelis’ Italian roots played a role in his ability to establish quick connections as well. Colleagues and helping hands from his past football years at the University made Raleigh his second home and the perfect place to open up a restaurant.
In 1963, Amedeo’s Italian Restaurant opened its doors to the public, with a meek seating capacity of 12. Today, it still sits on Western Boulevard, expanded to seat 200. The dramatic difference comes across as no surprise to any of the restaurant’s regulars.
The business proves kinship goes beyond blood relation. Treated like family, many of Amedeo’s current regulars have no reason not to return.
“The DeAngelis family connection in this restaurant goes back from day one,” DeAngelis Parker said.
Ever since DeAngelis brought his mother to North Carolina to lend a hand while he coached on the side, the family has continued to stick around in the business. His daughter DeAngelis Parker and her husband currently run the restaurant and now their daughter serves as hostess. Lynell Williamson, DeAngelis’ first employee and cook, is still the man responsible for their famous specialties.
If the family’s amiable aura is not enough, the food is what keeps faithful customers coming back. The menu contains all the basic Italian staples — ravioli, lasagna, pizzas and the like. Spin-offs of American food also create variety in the menu while essentially all tastes build off regional Italian flavors.
“We have different dishes like the Penne Rustico, sandwiches and burgers. But the core of it is Italian – real Italian and homemade,” David Harris, who also co-owns the restaurant with the Parkers, said.
Nevertheless, it’s their homemade sauces that turn these basics into scrumptious ensembles.
“Try the blue cheese. We dip everything in the blue cheese,” DeAngelis Parker insisted. “Everything [in the menu] evolves over time but the gravy, the sauce… that’s what makes Amedeo’s, Amedeo’s.”
Doubling as a museum and hall of fame, the restaurant’s walls are lined with photos of N.C. State athletic figures – some dating back to the mid 1900s and some from last season. Every table, booth and room is decorated with a Wolfpack athletics theme, whether it is dedicated to Coach Kay Yow or to the University’s baseball team, there is hardly any white left on the walls.
“The antiques on the wall give the atmosphere an Italian family house feel,” Grace Williamson, a sophomore in biological sciences, said. “The food comes in a perfect portion [and] the menu is authentic.”
With family and Wolfpack allegiance as the cornerstone of the business, Amedeo’s welcomes all students with a 15 percent discount if they present their student I.D, a welcome reprieve from dining on campus.
