August 2013
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Section A
A Seat at the Table Colombo’s Pizza & Pasta Celebrates 28 Years By Cassie Colombo, Co-owner of Colombo’s Pizza & Pasta Thirty-five years ago, my dad, Joe Colombo, drove to Bozeman for a fishing trip with his pals. When he returned from the trip, he convinced my mom, Janet, to move 1,000 miles across the country and away from everyone she knew, while pregnant and caring for two young children, to open a Jewish deli with some close friends in Bozeman, Montana. After a few years, the deli closed and time, progress, etc. marched on. In 1985 – three businesses, seven years and one more kid later – my parents bought Karl Marks Pizza, on the corner of 10th and College. I wish I could say that my parents had crystallized a grand vision of great pizza in Bozeman, but, initially at least, they were really just concerned about making a living and supporting their family in a place they loved. We had cousins and uncles and aunts in Long Island who did run pizzerias and, in the early stages, their help and recipes were instrumental in creating our product, from Uncle Vinnie’s pizza crust and baked ziti to Uncle Sonny’s pesto sauce. My own mom had been absorbing my grandma’s Italian American New Jersey cooking style ever since she married into the family and she brought her new skills to bear on our fledgling restaurant. Over the years, some recipes were tweaked, while others simply evolved. Interestingly, our homemade bread recipe came to us from an industrious and headstrong woman who worked at the restaurant in the early years and thought we could do better than store-bought bread. In 1987, with the restaurant up and running, my parents changed the name from Karl Marks to Colombo’s Pizza & Pasta. (For those of you who remember, the original name was simply the first names of the two restaurant owners, who like most entrepreneurs and business owners, were not actually Marxists.)
Over the years, you may have stopped in the restaurant for a quick pick-up order, a birthday party or a weekly date with your spouse. You may have seen my dad working behind the counter or sitting at his office (table 15) sifting through the piles of paperwork and invoices. You may have caught glimpses of a tiny woman with dimples, my mom, running around the kitchen getting everything done that my dad had promised. You may have seen all three of us – my sister, brother and me – working in the restaurant and growing from young children into adults. (Unfortunately, this means you saw some awkward adolescence and sullen teenagerliness, and for that we ask your forgetfulness.) You may have witnessed our snarky banter and occasional bickering (honestly, one of the best and funniest reasons to eat at the restaurant), but you’ve also seen our loyalty and love. What you saw, in small glimpses throughout these last 28 years, is my family becoming what we are.
IN THIS ISSUE 19
SUPPORT THE COOPER BOLIN BENEFIT FUND
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BOZEMAN PUBLIC LIBRARY
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BOWL FOR KIDS’ SAKE
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GALLATIN VETERINARY HOSPITAL
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F11
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EARTH’S TREASURES
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CIGAR OF THE MONTH
I wish I could describe some glorious history of Colombo’s Pizza & Pasta, of bravery and inspiration. The simple truth is that we have come to love our restaurant as we love this community, its people, its rivers and its mountains. Colombo’s is, in many senses, my home and my parents’ home. We love to serve real and local food to our very real and local guests and we’re grateful that we’ve had the opportunity to do so. We look forward to each day at the restaurant because it brings us closer to the community we love, to an extended family that has shared in our lives and at our table for 28 amazing years. Located at 1003 W College St., Colombo’s is open daily at 11am and can be reached by calling 406.587.5544.
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HARLEY’S CORNER
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VINO PER TUTTI
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MENTAL HEALTH MONTHLY