COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Dominick Bruccoleri is the Chair of the Annual Queensborough Community College (QCC) Partners for Progress Gala, which supports student scholarships and helps QCC maintain academic and cultural enrichment. He also sits on the Board of Directors for the New York Law Enforcement Foundation and is an honorary member of the Bayside Historical Society.
PERSONAL: Bruccoleri has been married to his wife, Elizabeth for 11 years. They have two children together, a boy and a girl. He graduated in 1982 from Kean University but went back to take hotel and restaurant courses at New York University in 1993. He studied fine wines at Windows on the World.
JOB: Bruccoleri is the owner of Papazzio Restaurant and Caterers in Bayside, which recently received an A rating from the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. “We provide Northern and Southern Italian catering at its finest. My place has been built on community people. It’s all about giving back to the community that has supported me.” Papazzio celebrates their 20th anniversary this fall.
PROUDEST MOMENT: “Meeting my wife and having our children and hitting the milestone of 20 years in business while serving the Bayside community.”
BIGGEST CHALLENGE: “To continue business in this economy and make sure my staff has jobs. I love my staff . . . we want to keep things going for the next 20 years.”
FAVORITE MEMORY: “Watching my children grow up.”
INSPIRATION: “My inspiration has been my wife, Elizabeth. In business, my inspiration has been my colleagues who have been successful. These are people who have inspired me to keep moving forward and be successful.”
