Chickens and goats! Back in 1949, that 's what you would have encountered in the back yard of the Rovezzi home at 39 Ancona Road in Worcester, MA. A huge vegetable garden, chickens, and goats - - How else would you be able to feed a brood of ten children? The garden provided the produce, the chickens gave them eggs; what Italian doesn't enjoy the taste of fresh goat's milk?... well, you get the picture.

Joseph Rovezzi, Chris' father, was a middle child in a large Italian clan. As a family of limited resources, Joseph shared a modest 3 bedroom home with four brothers, five sisters, his mother and father. Credit good nature and good sense for inspiring the Rovezzis to adopt the Calabrese philosophy of feeding a lot of people with very limited ingredients. Perhaps Chris' brother John expressed this sentiment best whn he once remarked, "My father is the only guy I know who can make 20 pounds of meatballs with 5 pounds of ground beef!"

Calabrese people live mostly in mountain villages where it was almost impossible to raise any kind of livestock. Consequently, Calabrians would prepare delicious and abundant meals using very inexpensive ingredients such as vegetables, grains and pastas. Seafood is also a staple given that Calabria is a coastal region.

After returning from the Korean war, Joseph Rovezzi entered into the food service industry working in cafeteria-like settings. His first business venture was purchasing The Colony Restaurant on Main Street in downtown Worcester. As one of the largest cafeterias in Central MA. The Colony served breakfast and lunch to the 9 to 5 set. A disagreement with the landlord inspired Joe to make a drastic move.... down Main Street one block. Joe eventually purchased The Cypress Room Restaurant and Lounge, remodeled a bit, and shortly Rovezzi's Italian Restaurant was born. With Chris' brother John at the helm as head Chef, and Joey, (the Johnson and Wales graduate) as second in command, Rovezzi's quickly became the city's favorite place for Northern Italian cusine. Interestingly, this cuisine was the polar opposite of the Rovezzi's Calabrese heritage. Renowned for the sublime veal dishes that John and Joey presented, the restaurant thrived for more than 10 years. Having the support of his entire family, including his wife Shirley (the REAL boss) Joe sat comfortably in the captain's chair of this somewhat volatile, yet rewarding, "family business"

Passion for food ran through the Rovezzi bloodline right down to Chris, who is the youngest of six boys. Stephen, Paul, John, Mike and Joey all enjoy cooking and have participated, at various times, in the restaurant business. Only John, Joey and Chris remain in the business today.