Customers paying for takeout dinners. Pizza deliverymen hurrying into the store for hot pies to whisk off to Bayonne addresses. High school and college-age cashiers taking orders at the register.
That’s the scene most evenings at the Mona Lisa Pizzeria on Broadway near 5th Street.
But what many do not see is a virtual history of pop culture on the walls behind and above them.
Lining the far wall are photographs of singers, actors, comedians, politicians, athletes and more, a snapshot into the America of the 1940s, ‘50s ‘60s, and ‘70s.
It’s all due to the efforts of the late Dominick DeMarsico, grandfather of Mona Lisa owner Chris Cocchi. DeMarsico was the quintessential Hudson County guy, who was born in Union City and lived in Jersey City and North Bergen.
As a photographer with New York City newspapers and the New York City Mayor’s Office, DeMarsico met, photographed, and was photographed with some of the most noteworthy political figures of the 20th century, including Presidents John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Jimmy Carter, New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, and New York City Mayor Abraham Beame.
“I think he was the most proud when he met President Kennedy.” – Rosann DeMarsico
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DeMarsico also met musicians like Frank Sinatra and John Lennon, and actors like Gregory Peck, Spencer Tracy, and Carroll O’Connor, who were the faces of old-time Hollywood, as well as comic actors like Soupy Sales, Jimmy Durante, and Carol Channing.
Sports luminaries also show up on the wall, including boxer Sugar Ray Robinson, and baseball legend Yogi Berra.
“I think he was the most proud when he met President Kennedy,” said Rosann DeMarsico, Dominick’s daughter and Cocchi’s mother.
“And, of course, Frank Sinatra, because they were born and raised in practically the same area,” she said of the Hoboken native.
So the next time you’re in the Mona Lisa for a slice, take in some history and pay homage to a Hudson County boy who made good.
Joseph Passantino may be reached at JoePass@hudsonreporter.com.To comment on this story online visit www.hudsonreporter.com.