(Publisher’s Note: This article first appeared on LEDE News when pandemic restrictions remained in place throughout the tri-state region, but this place stood the test of very trying times and continues to offer one the valley’s favorite slices of pie.)
When the Ohio Valley Mall first opened in October 1978, the small pizza shop next to the hallway to Kaufmann’s was called Scotto’s Pizza. After 14 years, though, the name above the front door changed to Fabio’s Pizza after Tom Cracolici purchased the business and named it after his son.
Kind of, and that’s because there is an interesting story behind the reasons why Cracolici named his son Fabio.
“I named him after Fabio Grosso, who scored the winning goal when Italy last won the World Cup in 2006,” Cracolici explained. “My son is 28 now, and he works here, too, and Fabio has blessed me with a grandson this past Monday.
“I came to America in 1974 because my father was a prisoner of war here, and he told us that it was the best time of his life. He got treated like a king even though he was a prisoner of war,” he said. “He was allowed to work even though he was a prisoner, and when World War II ended, he wanted his family to come here so we would have a better future. I don’t care what anyone says; this is the best damn country in the whole world.”
But he still roots for Italy in the World Cup?
“Of course,” Cracolici said with a masked smile. “I will always root for Italy.”
Pizza with Your Pandemic?
At a time when the American public was learning how to distance and debating about wearing masks, the Cafaro Co. shuttered the Ohio Valley Mall while following the precautions mandated by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.
Businesses like Boscov’s, Lids, Victoria’s Secret and yes, Fabio’s, were closed for two months.
“That hurt. I cleaned the house. I went on walks. I cooked at home. And after the first few days I was going to crazy,” Cracolici recalled. “It made me wonder what people do when they don’t go to work every day. It was something I had not experienced. It’s not like I could go anywhere. I was stuck at home, so I just tried to stay busy. But then we were allowed to reopen in mid-May, and it hasn’t been easy at all. Thank God I have great customers and great employees. They all have been amazing, so I feel I have been blessed.
“It’s kind of slow compared to this time last year, but I am hearing that most businesses are down from last year,” he explained. “It’s been a struggle with Covid. There are so many uncertainties right now. It seems as if it’s been one thing after another, but we just have to endure. I’m a warrior, so I’m not worried about it. As long as I pay my bills and stay ahead of the game, I’m fine. But we are down about 30 percent right now, so I’m hoping that it gets better pretty soon.”
More Than Pie
Fabio’s customers always enjoy the parade of pizza that rests under the shop’s front counter each day because there are the Sicilian and the Chicago style from which to choose.
Cracolici’s menu, however, also features items he learned how to prepare from his family through the years, including the manicotti, spaghetti, rigatoni, stuffed shells, and several different hoagies and salads.
“Pretty much everything we make is fresh,” Cracolici said. “We have our own spices, our own recipes, and all of the recipes are in my head, and that’s where they are going to stay. My kids know some of them, and if they ask, I will tell them, but it’s always about practice, practice, practice.
“I get told that I should write everything down, but to me, it’s not the same,” he said. “When my mom cooked, it was a little bit of this, a little bit of this, and a little bit of this. That’s because if it’s in your head, it’s in your heart.”
Cracolici is now 64 years old, and Fabio’s has three years remaining on its lease with the Cafaro Co. Whether or not Fabio’s Pizza renews the agreement is a decision that will be up to his children, and Cracolici did not rule out a move to the city of Wheeling.
“We are thinking about making a change when our lease is up here,” he revealed. “My kids work here, so when the lease is up, that decision will be up to them. I love it here, and I love my customers, but at that time it’s their decision.
“No matter what they decide, I will help them here or at a new place in Wheeling,” Cracolici said. “I am looking forward to cutting down a little. Just a little … not much. I get asked every day when I am going to retire, and I ask back, ‘And do what?’ I love what I do, the people I work with, and the people who come here for our food.”
