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08/13/2014 12:00 AMI recently interviewed an old friend, fellow writer, and former employee of Dodie's restaurant in Branford. Back in the 1970s, my friend worked several summers as a cook at Dodie's and fondly recalled the owners, Paul and Dodie Criscuolo. As he puts it, "They were very good to work for, treated us very well, and we worked hard for them in return." The Criscuolos would add a young staff member each summer for the busy season, and many of the employees would return each year. My friend was one of them.
Dodie's served a nice array of menu items, including, seafood, burgers, fries, calzones, fried dough, and, for a short time each summer, soft shell crab sandwiches, which were popular with the locals, always selling out quickly.
"There was some skill involved in being a cook," according to my friend. "It wasn't like a fast food place where everything is timed and structured."
In addition to his role as cook, my friend pointed out that as in most small restaurants, employees wore different hats, as each pitched in to work the counter, empty trash, and do general cleaning, to name just a few of the tasks.
This former cook later went on to work at various bars and restaurants earning money for college along the way-"It really was a good skill to learn, and a lifelong one." There was another more personal benefit that he derived from his time at Dodie's. "Not long ago, I was driving by with my kids and I told them, 'That was where I learned to cook a lot of the things they loved to eat.'" Nice story.
Later, the restaurant became Vincent's Drive-In and is currently TNT Seafood & Grill along with Rita's Ices, serving a variety of Italian ice.
Special thanks to my friend and former Branford resident Bob Conte, who provided the memories for this piece.
Mike Russo is a lifelong Branford resident and proud parent of two children.