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DiSalvo’s Station Restaurant
Adds More Accomplishments
By Karen Fetter
DiSalvo’s Station
Restaurant is not just another restaurant. Major
accomplishments and community fundraising make
it a notable and respected place of business in
Westmoreland County.
After opening in 1990 and occupying the former
Pennsylvania Railroad Station in Latrobe, the
restaurant has evolved. Not only has DiSalvos
been recognized for its authentic Italian
cuisine, but in 2008 owner Joseph DiSalvo was
elected Chairman of the Pennsylvania Restaurant
Association Board of Directors.
The restaurant is a nationally registered
Historic Landmark and has been the recipient of
numerous awards and recognitions. It was
selected as one of only 11 restaurants in the
nation’s “Most Worthy of a Destination Stop” by
the Culinary Institute of America and as one of
the top 20 restaurants in Pennsylvania by
“Server” magazine.
DiSalvo's Station receives frequent accolades as
a dining destination and in 2004 was awarded
with the prestigious DiRoNA (Distinguished
Restaurant of North America) Award. Joseph has
dedicated many hours of involvement over the
years on various PRA Committees and on the PRA
Board of Directors, the Advisory Board of the
Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, and as Board
Member and Marketing Director of DiRoNA. Joseph,
known to friends as Joey, was the recipient of
the first Western Chapter Pennsylvania
Restaurant Association scholarship and has a
Bachelor of Science Degree in Hospitality
Management from Florida International University
in Miami. He also has an A.O.S. (Associates in
Occupational) Degree from the Culinary Institute
of America in Hyde Park, New York.
In addition to Joey's educational achievements,
he has numerous professional accomplishments as
well including a Special Judges Award and High
Silver Medalist, Culinary Arts Salon from the
American Culinary Federation. In 1999 there was
a Restaurateur of the Year Award by the Western
Chapter Pennsylvania Restaurant Association, and
a 2002 Restaurateur of the Year Award by the
American Culinary Federation, Pittsburgh
Chapter. In 2005, Joey was the recipient of the
Pennsylvania Restaurant Association Wilmer S.
Lapp Keystone Award for his work and passion in
creating, orchestrating, and promoting many
wonderful events to support national and local
charitable organizations such “Taste the Good
Life,” the largest bi- annual charity event in
Pennsylvania, held this year on April 24th, with
money raised going to the North Shore Community
Alliance.
“We have so many great
people involved in the Taste the Good Life
event,” said DiSalvo’s Station Restaurant owner
Joseph DiSalvo. “We do it because we want to be
able to give something back to society.”
According to Joseph, this event started 14 years
ago with a small group of distinguished men for
a sit-down dinner. Each year it evolved and now
it includes over 300 people.
Special appearances include radio and television
personalities from KDKA.
In addition to the fundraiser, Disalvo’s Station
Restaurant has a high reputation for the
services and food offered at the restaurant.
With a menu available that includes a wide range
of entrees, pastas, and sandwiches makes it a
dining experience that no one can forget. The
restaurant accommodates groups for weddings,
rehearsal dinners, showers, banquets, Sunday
brunch parties, proms, sports banquets, funeral
lunches, retirement packages, and buses and
group tours. Not to mention that the restaurant
offers express take-out, gift certificates, and
dining cards. Guests always have something new
to enjoy and every Friday night there is live
entertainment!
The menu is what keeps people coming back for
more. Menu items include soups, salads,
appetizers, pasta, seafood, sandwiches, and
entrees. But guests are not limited to the menu.
The chef can prepare anything that the customer
would suggest.
In addition to the food, the atmosphere and
architecture from the railroad days make you
feel like you are in a unique setting. Upon
entering the restaurant and walking through the
tunnel, you enter the expansive atrium (formerly
the train yard) where the cobblestone floor
gives you the feeling of dining in a courtyard
in old-town Italy. In addition, there is a
full-sized dining car inside of the restaurant.
Other rooms that portray the ambience of a
renovated train station include the main dining
room (the original concourse area), the adjacent
tap room (formerly the ticket and luggage area),
the Latrobe Room, and the Railway Express
Office.
Take the opportunity to
visit the highly recognizable and respected
restaurant and its owner Joey DiSalvo on your
next visit to Latrobe.
DiSalvo's Station Restaurant
325 McKinley Ave
Latrobe, PA 15650
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