Dear Mr. Cafaro
I was in your restaurant on Saturday August 23, 2003; you may recall that I mentioned to you that I appreciated your commemorating the September 11, 2001 incident with the book and the wall in your restaurant.

That visit was not our first to your restaurant and will not be our last. Our daughter is a Junior at App State and we anticipate being in the Boone area several more times over the next two years.
My purpose in writing is simply to let you know that we enjoy your restaurant and we have encouraged our daughter and her friends to patronize you on a regular basis. I am also telling my friends here in Tupelo about you, as there are several Tupelo students who attend App State.
We wish you all the best and we look forward to our next "taste of New York" when we again visit Boone.
-- David

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All the way from Alabama
Joe, I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed my meal at your deli on Friday evening 8/20/04. Everything was excellent especially the crab soup. I was the man who came up and told you I came all the way from Alabama to get some. Would there be any way to have any shipped here around Thanksgiving? I wasn't sure if you ship out of town or not. Take care and again, I really enjoyed it.
-- Neal

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Just Like NY
Hi Joe:
Just got back from having my first real NY pizza in 7 years since moving to Chapel Hill, from the NY area. Grew up in Westchester, relatives from New Rochelle, coming from Bari in Italy... Barnaba was the name, Nicholas...
Since moving here to retire, no one has captured the ovens, methods or taste that I have just experienced...
How I have missed it...!!! I had tried Randy's of Durham, which claimed NY pizza, and even Sal's which is opening a few places in the triangle, but yours had the right crust......the charred, blackened, crispy, and delicious crust that I remembered, wonderful cheese, and sauce...

We are up in Blowing Rock renting a house for the summer, and will be back over and over to keep getting my fix...too bad you don't have any other places in my home area.
Thanks for a fabulous pizza, how one small thing like having the right food can make your day... it certainly did mine...
-- Your new customer, Linda

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Hi Joe,

Just wanted to thank you for being in NC.

I moved to Hendersonville from Long Island (but, I was born in Brooklyn!!) 13 years and had not had a good meatball parm hero until I visited your store.

Are you thinking of opening another store?? Perhaps in Hendersonville?? PLEASE!!!

Thanks for bringing back such great memories and satisfying my meatball parm craving. Next time I'm in Boone I'll be satisfying my NY pizza craving.

Ellen S
Hendersonville, NC

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Yummy!
I have lived in Boone for two years now and for some reason I'm just
now discovering how wonderful your food is. It was so good that I had
to look up your email and tell you how much I enjoyed it. I will
definitely be coming to your restaurant on a regular basis now that I
know how tasty (and affordable) everything is. Thanks for my delicious
dinner! - Carolyn F

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Rehearsal Dinner
Joe, once again, thanks so much! We're back in Gainesville and all agree that the rehearsal dinner was the best start for the wonderful weekend. Everything went very well. I'll be up in July - probably the 17th, and will plan to have lunch or dinner at Joe's!

All best,
Phyllis

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"The Real Deal for Italian in the NC Highlands"
Tucked away in a strip mall on Boone Heights Road is a little place called "Joe's Italian Kitchen". Joe comes from Brooklyn, New York, and let me tell you, if you grew up in the NY metro area and miss the food, or if you've heard about it and often wondered what it's all about, or if you just like good Italian food, then run, do not walk, to Joe's Italian kitchen. I spent the first 25 years of my life in the NY metro area, and I can tell you, Joe is the real deal. This is Italian "Peasant Food" as my parents and grandparents raised families of immigrants on, and which places like the Olive Garden and Jonnie Corrino’s try to offer up pale imitations off. There is nothing fancy about Joe's, which is exactly how all the pizza joints I grew up in were. And the pizza OH! Let me tell you, the pizza is exactly the way it should be. You'd have to travel to Little Italy in NY to find better. The pastries, the pasta, the pizza, the hand made meatballs, or locally ground sausages...I could go on and on. And customer service...Joe meet me and my family of 6, strangers from out of town, one VERY busy night, and the next time I came into the store he addressed me by name. Joe's isn't just good food, it's like going Home. Joe's is worth a trip to Boone all by itself.
Oct 2007
-- Paul S.

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Just a note
Just a note to tell you how much my wife and I enjoyed mid afternoon dinner last Friday afternoon at your restaurant.
We are on vacation for the week, staying in Blowing Rock, and you were recommended to us by one of the sales agents for Ginn Properties who represents the Laurelmor development.
We always love to come to the Boone and Blowing Rock area….and look forward to dining in several places. Your restaurant will certainly be on our list for the future….we also like Peppers…and their New York Reuben…
Our firm serves approximately 5,000 restaurants nationwide, for turn key accounting. This is not a sales pitch, only to say that I took in your business model, and was impressed by what I saw. Obviously you are a “hands on” owner and operator; costs are well controlled, making the most use of your square footage including the outside area. Don’t know how much take out business you do. Food was great…my wife had the veal, and I had chicken…she told me it was the best veal she had tasted in years…..
Great job….
Billy H
Laurel, Mississippi

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It’s Mardi Gras at Joes Italian Kitchen
January 13, 2009

If you can’t get to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, you can get the next best thing- at least as far as food is concerned!

If you’ve been to Joe’s Italian Kitchen, you know that the traditional Italian food is the next best thing to Brooklyn. And the atmosphere makes me feel like I’m at my Italian grandparents house in NY.

Joe’s boasts the only ‘real’ NY pizza in the High Country, and they are telling the truth! I can testify to that fact! Owner and head chef Joe Cafaro and his 85-year-old father serve up recipes that have been in their family for 100 years. I had the pleasure of cooking a meal with Joe for Mom Squad TV the other day, and I have one word for you: YUM! He put together a quick, easy and inexpensive dinner that we moms can make at home.

But Joe doesn’t only cook Italian faves. In addition to the full Italian Menu, he’ll be offering a full range of Cajun selections, like Red Beans and Rice, Jambalaya, Gumbo, Crawfish Quiche, Po-Boy Shrimp Sandwich, Crawfish Etouffee, and much more. The Cajun Menu runs through February, and after that, they’ll be doing Irish Food for St. Patty’s Day.

My absolute favorite Italian dish is Baked Ziti. Joe has Baked Ziti on the lunch menu for only $5.25. That’s as much as I would spend at a burger joint and it’s enough for Little Pea and I to share! And for every dollar you spend, you’ll get a percentage back (In JoeBucks) for your next meal. Anyway, if you’re looking for a great Italian meal you should check out Joe’s. Sometimes he’ s a little cranky but, “Hey! Fuh-git-about-it”
-- Sarah Pinnix, founder & editor of The High Country Mom Squad

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Marinara Sauce
Hi Joe!
I lived in Boone for several years while at ASU, and I LOVED your food. I had my graduation party there, and I even ordered a bunch of your sauce to be brought out of Boone to my wedding. We have moved far away, and my husband even drove 4 hours to Boone to pick up some of your pasta sauce when I was pregnant to satisfy my cravings!!! So, I know what I'm about to ask may be a sin, but I'm going to ask it anyways...can you possibly tell me how to make your incredible marinara sauce? I promise every time we make a trip, we will bring people to you!!! That sauce is the best I've ever had, and I cannot find an Italian place in town that can compare to you! I would appreciate it SO much!!! We miss your pasta and Chocolate Bom Boms!!! :)

I'm begging,
Summer H.

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Rehearsal Meal
Joe,
Thanks for some wonderful food. So many things went wrong for the wedding this past weekend, it was a great lift to see the Lasagna waiting on the counter when I walked it to your restaurant. It was great - I believe that the rehearsal meal was better than the wedding reception meal.
Thanks again.

Ed and Donna W.

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Your food is awesome!!
Hi:
I just wanted to say that my mom, my daughter and I stumbled across your restaurant yesterday while shopping in the art supply store and am so glad that we did. We are from Burnsville, NC. We come to Boone periodically to take my daughter to the orthodontist. I could tell from eating your pizza that all the ingredients were fresh. It was absolutely the best pizza I have ever had. I took a take-out menu home and was delighted to see that indeed all your food is from scratch. Burnsville does not have 1 restaurant that makes anything from scratch that I know of. I will be spreading the word about Joe's.

See you soon.
Crystal P.

I have also sent the Food Network an email telling them that Guy should visit your restaurant and have you on his show. They get thousands of suggestions, so we'll see. I would love to see you on TV with Guy on DDD. Can't wait to visit your restaurant again soon.

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Please Help
Hi Joe! I lived in Boone for several years while at ASU, and I LOVED your food. I had my graduation party there, and I even ordered a bunch of your sauce to be brought out of Boone to my wedding. We have moved far away, and my husband even drove 4 hours to Boone to pick up some of your pasta sauce when I was pregnant to satisfy my cravings!!! So, I know what I'm about to ask may be a sin, but I'm going to ask it anyways...can you possibly tell me how to make your incredible marinara sauce? I promise everytime we make a trip, we will bring people to you!!! That sauce is the best I've ever had, and I cannot find an Italian place in town that can compare to you! I would appreciate it SO much!!! We miss your pasta and Chocolate Bom Boms!!! :)

I'm begging,
Summer H

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Tha Hall Family of Wake Forest
My husband has ridden in the Blood Sweat and Gears race in Boone for the past 3 years. This year he really wanted some pasta the night before the race so we asked the hotel (Holiday Inn Express) where a good place to go was. They recommended several and we chose your place. Very simply, the food was SO good that we not only ate there that night but came back the next night after the race and ate again, ordering pizza which was delicious. The first night I got Lasagna which was incredible, even being served on a paper plate, and he got the spaghetti which he raved about.

In short, we will be back and I have already recommended it to my in laws who are heading up in a couple of weeks. Thanks for your support of the cycling community (we didn't realize you were a sponsor till we saw your employees wearing the T shirts) and for the 2 delicious meals you provided our family!!

Stuart and Stacey Hall
Wake Forest, NC
June 25 and 26, 2010

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Reheasal Dinner
Joe,
Now that things have calmed slightly after my son’s wedding this past weekend, my wife and I wanted to make sure that we sent you a note thanking you for the great food. We had fortunately selected you as the caterer for the rehearsal dinner. The food was delivered hot, everyone loved each of the dishes, and the desserts were a big hit. My daughter especially wanted to thank you for the pumpkin cheese cake, it was a special request and it was special!!! We have and will continue to recommend your restaurant, food, and catering service to anyone visiting the area.
We enjoyed meeting you and we’ll be sure to stop in the next time that we visit the high country.
Thanks Again,
The Burt’s

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Our visit 10/16/10
Hi Joe!
Thank you for being in the south! We visited your restaurant on Oct. 16 2010 and I was blown away!! (I am the Jersey girl that told you I could bathe in your sauce!) My sister in law goes to ASU and my hubby and I went for a visit. She raved about your place so we had to check it out!
My hubby’s family is from NYC and you have the most authentic NY Italian food I have ever had! We will definitely be back, as my sister in law and her friend are regulars!
BTW, I have emailed Food Network to have Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives to check you out! I encourage all who have been to your restaurant to do the same!!!

Monica F.
New Bern