Mother’s Day is just about here, a day we pay tribute to the women who raised us. We shower them with gifts and fancy brunches and let’s be honest, they deserves it. This Mother’s Day we are paying tribute to one of our favorite mamas-on-the-go, Laura Carlino. We interviewed Laura to get a glimpse of what its like being a mother, grandmother, wife, daughter-in-law and matriarch of the Carlino’s family business.

Two families were living just a few towns apart in Abruzzo, Italy. Both rich in their Italian roots and traditions seeking prosperity in the US after devastation from World War II. Just 10 years old at the time, Laura Dinardo and her family were eventually granted visas and made the journey to the US. A few months prior the Carlinos family also made the same journey, and as a simple twist of fate both families still unknown to each other managed to settle in Ardmore PA. A culture shared and a continent crossed, circling around each other, it had seemed as though Laura’s life had been running parallel to the Carlino’s and was destined to collide.

 

 

Years later paths would collide when Laura took a job working the register in the Carlino’s first humble storefront in 1983 when she was just 19. She worked alongside mama, pop and their sons from the very beginning. On days when it was slow she would help in the back making pasta, sauce and meatballs, learning all that Mama and Pop could teach her. “I was one of the only ones Pop would allow to help him with the pasta” she said “I think it was because I did exactly what he said, exactly as he showed me” Back then the Carlino’s were making 8 gallons of sauce a day compared to the 240 we make today.

Time went on and Laura fell in love and married the Carlino’s youngest son Pat. Over the next 30 years she would learn every aspect of the family business, help it grow to what it is today, all while raising 4 children. Today we see Laura and know she has not only given her blood, sweat and tears but also enough gumption, laughter and generosity to carry us all. The only question we had was how did she do it?

 

 

What advice would you give other mother’s running a family owned business? I would say being able to separate family time and business time. But equally as important is support, you need a strong support system. I don’t know what we would have done without the support of our family. We were working all the time and couldn’t afford a baby sitter. I remember when Angela was born I came back to work two weeks after I had her. We didn’t have a crib at the store so we used a paper box with a pillow and blanket so she could take naps. She would fall asleep to the tortellini machine – that was our sound machine.

Later as Nick, Philip and Nadia were born my parents or my in-laws would take the kids so we could work late. When we came home they had food ready for Pat and I. In the morning when I’d get up to do it all over again, I would go to grab laundry and would find my mother-in-law who we lived with at the time, had already washed, dried and folded our clothes. During the day-in day-out I almost didn’t even realize how much they did for me, it was just how we lived. We were so immersed in the business and everyone’s driving passion was for the kids – so we all worked together. After Mama passed I realized how much she had absorbed or taken on for me to keep me going.

 

 

Being a daughter-in-law: What is the greatest thing Mama Carlino taught you? Oh so many things. She was such a giving person and had so much inner strength. She instilled such a passion in me for what we were doing. When I would be fascinated with what she was making she would say “Here I teach you, then you make”. She never held back, always treated me like a daughter and would actually even tell people I was her daughter.

She taught me that life was not all about work but that I also deserved to enjoy the fruits of my labor. On Saturdays she used to ask me “what you want me to make tomorrow” and I’d say “Oh Ma don’t worry about that now” The thought of planning another meal at the end of the week seemed so overwhelming. But she’d say “No no I cook for you…let’s try something new then maybe I make for the store”. Then she would cook this huge meal on Sunday and we’d all be together and have time to enjoy ourselves.

Is there a dish you swore you’d never serve as a mom that went out the window? Oh gosh, mac & cheese – you know the one out of the box. The kids said to me “not good mom, please don’t ever make this again” (haha) They didn’t like it. They were used to the food we would serve in the store. We were really lucky because we made the food ourselves so we knew what was going into it and never felt guilty sharing it with our children.

 

 

Keeping it all in the family – What is it like working with your children? It’s great having Nick and Angela here and that we can all be together. The challenge is I know in my head logically that they are really business savvy but I still want to spare them the stress. I have to hold back from the urge to jump in all the time. I know how much sacrifice and hardship a family business is and as a mother I always want to spare them. I am also equally happy my younger two children are looking to go in different directions. I want them to see what else is out there. This also helps when we are all together to not just focus on the business but other things.

What’s the one tradition you learned from your own mother that you would like to pass on to your children? Sunday dinner. I try to have all my kids, both the older two who now have their own families and the younger two all together at my house. That’s our time together.

 

 

How did becoming a grandmother change you? I love being a grandmother Thursday’s with my grandson Vincent is my time to escape. Unless the building is burning down don’t call me! My own experiences as a working mother have given me such empathy for Angela. I always try to make sure Vincent is fed or bring them food, run here or there, whatever I can do. My mother and mother-in-law were so good that way I try to do the same for Angela.

What is your favorite go to dish to cook for your family? Sauce from scratch with pasta, not because ours isn’t good but because the act of cooking it is such an escape and so relaxing. It’s also what my mother always made so it’s nostalgic for me.

What’s your idea of the perfect Mother’s Day? No one has to work and we can spend the day together – that would be my ideal day. I don’t care who’s cooking later or what we do, but I want to make breakfast for my husband and kids – blueberry pancakes. Hopefully it’s a warm sunny day and we can be in the backyard with the whole family and my grandson. Maybe in the evening we grill out and enjoy some of my husband’s red wine that he makes – so good.

Note from the Staff: Laura isn’t just a mother to her four children but also to all of us who work here at Carlino’s, whether that’s giving us a needed push or making sure we stopped for lunch. Her gumption, generosity and kindness has transcended the business and we wish her the very best Mother’s Day.