Somewhere along the way, Joe Cuddemi was dubbed the unofficial mayor of Bennington.
Maybe its because of all those years of service he put in to the town. Maybe it’s because he’s lived there all but about two years of his life. Or maybe it’s because of the way he makes it a point to sit down with just about every guest in his restaurant and strike up a conversation.
It was Cuddemi’s dad, Albert “Bat” Cuddemi, who opened the family restaurant right down the road from the Monadnock Paper Mill on Sept. 16, 1945. In those days it was called the Riverside Cafe before it officially became Alberto’s Italian Restaurant in 1958.
The name change came a decade before Cuddemi joined the family business. He was working in the electronics industry but then it all fell apart. Having been laid off, he went to work for his father – and has been at Alberto’s ever since. That was more than 50 years ago.
He learned the ropes of running a restaurant from his dad. Cuddemi was told very early on that it was important to know both the food and financial sides of the business. He cooked for about 20 years and still does all his own books.
“Working with your father, can be somewhat difficult and somewhat rewarding, and you just hope you can come out OK on the other side,” Cuddemi said. “And as a father-son business, you don’t want it to fail, so you try your damndest.”
It was 1983 when Cuddemi took over and he has put his own fingerprints on Alberto’s. He greatly expanded the menu and underwent a second major renovation by adding on the lounge in the late ’80s, while also trying to carry on and preserve the legacy his dad created.
He probably doesn’t need to be, but Cuddemi is still at Alberto’s five nights a week. He takes off Thursday nights, which is usually when he goes out to dinner with his wife of 32 years, Erin, and Sundays. But any other day, he’s around, making small talk, meeting new people and making sure everyone who walks through the door feels at home.
“A lot of my customers have turned into friends,” Cuddemi said.
Owning his own business allowed Cuddemi to pursue other passions, one of those being public service. It began when he was elected a Bennington selectman in 1982 and served for three years. He returned to the board of selectmen in 2002 and served until 2012. From the time he was first elected, Cuddemi made it a point to always consider what was in the best interest of the town.
“It didn’t affect my business except the nights I had to take off to go to meetings,” he said. “But it was about helping people. Living in this town, working for the town has been rewarding, and it’s something I always wanted to do.”
That’s why he was a volunteer on the fire department for more than two decades, served on the recreation committee, acted as head of the recycling center and was the liaison for the capital improvement committee, budget committee, the police department, school board and planning board. The thing that he is most proud – outside of his children Jordan and Anthony – is the work he did to help get Crotched Mountain back up and running.
It was his first year back on the board of selectmen and Cuddemi worked with the likes of Jim Cleary and Terry Schnare, as well as Crotched’s owner Peak Resorts, to return the mountain to a viable member of the community that pays taxes and provides many jobs.
“That’s one of the best things that could have happened to the community,” Cuddemi said.
Being a selectman is a time commitment, but one that Cuddemi felt was necessary. The reason he got back into it was because he wanted a better run town government, one that was transparent and honest with residents, and would get results.
“I really liked the job. I liked the idea of helping people and working with people to help keep their taxes down,” Cuddemi said.
While he still felt like he had a lot to give to the town, Cuddemi said it was time for a change.
“One of my thoughts was let someone else younger come in and see how it operates,” Cuddemi said.
And now he only offers his opinion if asked.
“When you get out, stay out. Nothing worse than being an ex-selectman, going in there and trying to tell people what to do,” Cuddemi said. “I put my time in and I’m very satisfied with what I did.”
Before the restaurant opens at 5 p.m., Cuddemi will make sure he’s caught up on the business finances, while also performing a lot of his own maintenance. You kind of need to know how to do a little bit of everything when you own a restaurant, Cuddemi said.
“I’m an owner that’s here,” he said. “It’s a demanding business, but you just have to keep everything in perspective.”
He likes to go to movies – he’s already seen “A Star is Born” multiple times – and out to eat with Erin. He used to play golf all the time, but two knee operations and a heart attack put an end to those days.
Ask Cuddemi what his hobby is and it’s the same answer he’d have given eight years: the business. He takes it more seriously than a hobby, but it just means he enjoys it more than some owners might. He likes the people – the customers and his staff – and all that comes with it. He’s lived it for the last 50-plus years and has no reason to stop.
“For me, I enjoy what I do. I enjoy meeting people and having conversations with them,” he said.
Right now, his kids are off doing their own thing and Cuddemi isn’t sure either will want to take over one day. Both live within an hour and Cuddemi said he talks to them just about every day.
His father was still working at the restaurant when he passed away, and Cuddemi said he wouldn’t be surprised if it was the same story for him one day.