Good morning all,
Like many of you, we can confess to not reading the entire tome on the Tom Capano case in the last couple of editions.
Many of our readers lived through the dramatic and sordid tale that spawned books and a made for TV series. We can recommend George Anastasia’s excellent book on the case, “Summer Wind.” News Journal reporter Cris Barrish also wrote a book as did crank ‘em out crime author Ann Rule.
The News Journal did enlist one of its more talented reporters, Patricia Talorico, to write the stories. But like many of you, we felt uncomfortable with the decision to revisit the case, at least when it comes to family members who still endure unspeakable pain.
The story package did trigger memories of days gone by, a time when we quickly fetched the latest paper from the driveway for the latest revelations. Today newspapers, written with skeleton staffs seeking click-worthy stories, can remain unread on a Sunday morning.
One story in the NJ’s package that is a must read is Anthony Stella’s memories of the parties in the case who often ended up at his iconic restaurant, L’Osteria.
As you might remember, food was part of the story, with one restaurant was prominently mentioned in this case. Here’s a link to one of the chilling stories Anastasia penned.
Stella’s intimate dining spot was a favorite of many of us who loved its Italian offerings. Anthony nearly always made it a point to stop by and say hello after working some magic in the kitchen.
Stella heard a lot and the memories stuck in his head.
We stuck with Osteria, although dining budgets were tight in those days as we sent the kids off to college. Anthony struggled with the brutal economics of the business and the unfortunate tendency of Wilmingtonians to thoughtlessly move on to the next hot dining spot.
To this day, we have never found a better dish of lasagna.
After closing the restaurant, Stella went on to other pursuits that included an Italian market in Chadds Ford.
Sadly, the carry outs at Wegmans and Whole Foods doomed the venture. He is now doing great work in the Delaware corrections system in helping inmates get the skills needed to work in the foodservice industry.
Anthony, thanks for the sharing the memories and for offering that heavenly lasagna – Doug and Sharon Rainey
