NEW YORK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th May, 2020) Nobel prize-winning poet and essayist Joseph Brodsky used to love Italian sandwiches, was not the biggest tipper and often lost his wallet, Sputnik has learned from Fabrizio Cavallacci, the owner of the poet's favorite coffeehouse in New York, Caffe Reggio.
This past Sunday would have been Brodsky's 80th birthday � the Russian-born US poet died in 1996 at the age of 55. In 1987, he was awarded Nobel prize in Literature "for an all-embracing authorship, imbued with clarity of thought and poetic intensity."
Caffe Reggio, located in Manhattan's artistic nest of Greenwich Village, became one of the poet's favorite places during his years in New York after he moved there in 1980.
Caffe Reggio was established by Domenico Parisi in 1927, originally as a barber shop eventually turned into the first coffeehouse to serve authentic Italian cappuccino in the United States. In 1955, Parisi sold the cafe to the Cavallacci family, and twenty years later the ownership went to Fabrizio Cavallacci. The coffeehouse gained fame with many celebrities and was famously featured in such movies as The Godfather 2, Next Stop and Serpico, among others.
HAPPY MAN WHO FREQUENTLY FORGOT HIS WALLET
"He [Brodsky] used to come almost every day, and he used to lose his wallet two or three times a week. He used to lose everything," Cavallacci said.
But the poet was apparently quite laid-back about such situations, according to Caffe Reggio's owner.
"He was pretty calm about it, he wasn't nervous at all. He was a pretty happy man, and he probably was sure in the honesty of the place and knew that he would get everything back," Cavallacci said.
Brodsky normally came at 4:00-5:00 p.m. and sat at the table in the back � Cavallacci said that the poet used to be "a very private customer."
"Once in a while, he used to come with students, but normally he was by himself," Cavallacci said.
According to the cafe owner, Brodsky used to order coffee with a cake or a sandwich. The poet apparently had no particular preference in coffee � Cavallacci said he could order Americano, cappuccino and espresso � but preferred sandwiches with ham and cheese to cakes, even though he tried all available varieties, including eclairs, napoleon, sfogliatella and cannoli.
While in the cafe, the poet was mainly writing, reading or preparing for the next day at school � Brodsky taught at the Columbia University and the New York University during his years in New York, in addition to numerous other US educational institutions since his arrival in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1972.
He left around 7:00-8:00 p.m. and, according to Cavallacci, did not particularly spoil waiters with tips: the owner recalled him leaving 20 cent tips to orders of $3.75-$4.
Many apparently tried to access the famous poet via Caffe Reggio, as aside from being a regular, he also lived close by in the Thompson street.
"I had his contact on Thompson street. So whenever someone wanted to meet him, they always had to go through me, because obviously he did not want to be bothered. So I used to call him up and say 'Look, there is so and so that wants to see you. Do you want to see them?' And sometimes he used to say no, but normally he used to say yes," the owner said.
For a long time, Caffe Reggio also used to receive phone calls and correspondence addressed to Brodsky � Cavallacci said he did not do it for any other customer since.
"We talked about Italy, because I am Italian. He said that he liked Italy and that he would want to go back to Italy," Cavallacci said.
Brodsky briefly lived in Venice after being expelled from the Soviet Union and often called this city one of his three favorites, along with New York and his native St.Petersburg. Caffe Reggio's owner said they had never talked politics, however.
Today, the iconic cafe is living though not its best times. In mid-March, it was ordered to close down, like all bars and restaurants in the New York state in light of the coronavirus pandemic. It was not until May that the coffeehouse was allowed to reopen for take away orders. It is not clear when Caffe Reggio will be able to resume full operations.
"Since I reopened, I am not making any money at all. I am making a couple hundred Dollars a day � barely to pay people behind the counter. Barely. Sometimes, I do not even make the money to pay them," Cavallacci said.
According to the owner, from 20 active employees from before the pandemic only two work at Caffe Reggio now. Being his own landlord, Cavallacci said he could "survive," unlike the employees who were left with no job.
"I am waiting for the PPP money [Paycheck Protection Program, the US government's aid package to small-sized businesses]. Whenever I get that, I'll pay my employees the Federal check," Cavallacci said.
Caffe Reggio's owner said that he was hoping to get $75,000 to be able to pay his employees.
