1989: A Culinary Survivor
Marcella Aitken's Italian restaurant in North Miami was a beloved neighborhood dining-out spot for decades. Her garlic rolls were legendary, and Marcella, working her tables and supervising her kitchen, was a Miami icon, made famous by distinctive commercials on local television.
Aitken, who immigrated to the United States from Italy, was a Miami newsmaker, known for raising basil, oregano and tomatoes in her back yard long before the local food movement. In the late 1970s and early 1980s Miami's "pasta queen" branched out, selling frozen Italian meals to Eastern Airlines and other big clients.
Marcella was on her way to becoming "the Italian equivalent of Colonel Sanders" when Eastern folded. And when this WTVJ clip aired in 1989 Marcella was back where she started -- in the kitchen and dining room of the restaurant that bore her name.
This Bob Mayer story includes a generous clip from one of Marcella's early commercials (don't miss her three-wheeled Mobile Kitchen!), an interview with Marcella, and good reviews from satisfied customers.
This video and audio is copyrighted/owned by the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives.
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