Bronx restaurant owner remembers Vincent Pastore as loyal friend who never forgot his roots
David Greco, owner of Mike's Deli in Belmont's Little Italy, said his friendship with the Bronx-born actor stretched back nearly four decades.
While much of the world remembers Vincent Pastore for his iconic role as Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on “The Sopranos,” one Bronx restaurant owner remembers him simply as a friend.
David Greco, owner of Mike's Deli in Belmont's Little Italy, said his friendship with the Bronx-born actor stretched back nearly four decades.
"My brother had a theatre on Arthur Avenue. And Vinny didn't want to act anymore and my brother convinced him to do a play with him. In the theatre," Greco said.
That friendship continued for years after Pastore found fame on television.
Greco said Pastore was a regular at Mike's Deli, stopping in for lunch about once a month and taking time to chat with customers.
"He'd love to chit-chat. He'd meet people, we were in a rush…he'd sit and have a conversation," Greco said.
When asked about Pastore's favorite meal, Greco smiled.
"Vinny could eat anything anytime... sometimes pasta e fagioli, linguine with clams, or a sandwich. He didn't want a big fat sandwich... light and classy," he said.
Pastore had celebrated his 80th birthday on July 14. Greco said they had planned to continue the celebration at the restaurant, but it never happened.
"We were going to have his birthday party here Saturday night and he called and said, ‘I don't feel 100%. We'll do it in two weeks,’ and Saturday I didn't call him. I was gonna call him this week to say, ‘When are we going to do his birthday party?’ No birthday party for Vinny. We were broken up," Greco said.
Pastore became a household name in 1999 after landing the role of Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on “The Sopranos.” He also appeared in the films “Goodfellas” and “Awakenings” and was inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame in 2016.
Greco said no matter how famous Pastore became, he never forgot where he came from.
"Think Vinny never forgot his roots... I have to tell you every time we talked about heritage and culture, he made it very clear he was born in the Bronx. Some of these guys forget their roots. Vinny Pastore never forgot where he was... where he came from... which part of Italy his parents were from... what his parents did when they came to America and broke their backs," Greco said.
Although Pastore was known for portraying mobsters and tough guys on screen, Greco said the actor's personality was much warmer off camera.
"In a turn, he could break your balls and two minutes later he's got your arm around you. ‘Where we gonna eat?’" Greco said. "He wanted to help young kids... I was teasing him, ‘You don't have the patience to teach’... He was like, ‘No I love it.’ People don't realize sometimes that tough guy character has a big heart behind it... and he really had a big heart."
Pastore, who was born in the Bronx and later made City Island his home for 25 years, died at age 80. He is survived by his daughter.
