Pasta Beans is just one of the many family dishes that has had a great influence on the life of Jerry Belcastro.

  He can remember his grandmother preparing the dish every Friday. 

  A relatively simple dish to put together, the nostalgia each ingredient evokes is special. Kidney beans, shell macaroni, a tomato paste base, olive oil, basil, oregano, crushed red pepper seeds, garlic, water and parmesan cheese made for a hearty meal and the centerpiece of many family gatherings. 

  “She never knew who was going to show up, which aunt or uncle was going to drop by. All I remember was if it was five or six of us eating, or if it was 10 of us eating, she just whipped it right out,” said Belcastro. 

  Belcastro comes from a family with a strong Italian heritage, as his grandfather was a full-blooded Italian. Many dishes made at family gatherings during his childhood were handmade or contained ‘special’ ingredients of Italian origin.  

  He would often help his grandmother make meals, preparing dough or running to the store for last minute ingredients.

  “My grandmother was a phenomenal cook. I remember her making pizza from scratch. I was helping her with the dough, stretching it out, saucing it. She would let me cheese it,” said Belcastro. “My father was also a big influence when it came to food. He was the heart and soul of our family, and he taught me many of the dishes I cook today.”

  It was our tradition to get together every Sunday for family dinner. We would let my father know who was going to be there so he knew how much to cook. All inclusive, there were about 18 of us. I can tell you, there were not many no-shows! Although many of the dishes were Italian based, one of my favorite meals was when we grilled steaks. There was really nothing extraordinary about the steaks, but the tomato salad and the hot pepper oil made the difference! He would take hot banana peppers and sauté them in olive oil and cloves of garlic. He would add this to the tomato salad that consisted of vine ripe tomatoes right from his garden, sweet Vidalia onions, fresh basil and salt and pepper. We would have garlic bread and dip the bread in the tomato salad … it was so good! We would also take the hot banana pepper oil and put it on our steaks as well. We all still do this to this day.

  It wasn’t until later in life that his personal interest in cooking was piqued.

  “I learned a lot of dishes for my age after going off to cook for myself in college,” said Belcastro.

   In 1980, at the age of 22, Jerry, along with his 18 year-old sister, opened up Belcastro’s Pizza and Subs at the current location of Holy Smoke BBQ & More on Hampton Street in McDonough. 

  “We were there for two years before moving to the current location of Pasta Max. We expanded our menu and added various pasta choices,” said Belcastro. “From there, we opened satellite stores in Hampton and Locust Grove and, in 1990, moved our McDonough location to the current SPLOST building. In 1993 the business was sold and changed hands a few time, and in 1997 the entire family reopened under the name of ‘Belcastro’s Italian Cuisine.’ In total, we had a run of 16 years in McDonough.”

Many family recipes became the influence for some of the most notable dishes served at his restaurants, to include lasagna, his special spaghetti sauce, homemade pasta and macaronis, and pizza dough.

During his time as a local restaurant owner and operator, Belcastro decided he wanted to learn more about the culinary arts and worked part time enrolled in a Seafood Restaurant program with the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta. 

Although he did not have any professional culinary experience, they took a chance on him the only student in the program with no prior, and he proved that he was just as qualified to be there as the others. 

“My station had everything that was blackened and deep fried. They had an executive chef that was over all the restaurants. He came in during dinner hours and would stand in the corner and observe,” said Belcastro. “A couple of times he made sure I knew that he was very impressed with what I was doing.” 

Belcastro eventually moved on after 16 years in the restaurant business, setting his sights on a career at Delta, working his way up to the position of Regional Manager of International Catering, where he spent his last 4 remaining years. remained for seven years. 

At Delta, he helped revolutionized the position. After moving right into the kitchen, he was able to be an integral part of the meal and menu preparation process for over 50 international flights a day. 

Today, Belcastro retains his love of food in his involvement with cooking for family and friends and even dedicating his time to serve as a judge in food competitions with the Georgia Barbecue Association.

And, despite moving on from various culinary ventures, the Italian influence is still very present at many holidays and family gatherings. 

“Every year, we have a Christmas Eve dinner and we all pitch in. Last year, I made homemade fettuccine, with an alfredo sauce, grilled chicken with steamed broccoli and carrots and a choice of chicken, shrimp and scallops on the side,” said Belcastro. “Most of the time, our dishes are Italian centered.”

Belcastro is excited to have passed on his love of cooking to his son and daughter nephews who, he hopes, will share those special dishes, to include Pasta Beans, with their future families. 

  See the March 11, 2020 edition of the Times where Jerry will interview the owners of a local BBQ restaurant.