MARIO RAPAGLIA and BARRY O'BRIEN Bario's Pizzeria, Restaurant and Caterers CATEGORY:ESTABLISHED BUSINESS

Sunday, October 20, 2002

They're not rock stars, they're not billionaires, they're not even household names; they are simply two guys who got together to make a dream come true. Their simple vision: Owning the now-famed Bario's Pizzeria, Restaurant and Caterers, New Springville.

The two seem an unlikely team. Rapaglia is a native Long Islander and O'Brien was born and bred in Graniteville. Rapaglia, who is Italian with dark hair and dark eyes -- has a rough and tumble quality to him. O'Brien with his pale Irish skin, bright-blue eyes and blond hair is demure and soft-spoken.

But if the Law of Electrostatic Attraction always holds true, and opposites really do attract, it may be O'Brien's and Rapaglia's completely opposite personalities that have pulled them together for the sake of success.

Located at 446 Nome Ave., the wooden chairs and tabletops, as well as the walls covered with old-fashioned memorabilia, make the place cool and inviting for a lunch-break or dinner on family night.

Rapaglia and O'Brien met while they were teen-agers working at the former Heartland Pizzeria.

Once out of college, Rapaglia, then 23, and O'Brien, then 21, took ownership of a space in 1989 and opened the former Brick Oven Pizza. According to O'Brien, unlike other businesses, their enterprise showed no signs of struggling on the way to the top.

"We made money from the first day," he said. "We always knew it. We always knew we would be a success."

By 1998, their business had grown and they needed more space, so they took over an old kosher butcher shop, which was five doors down from their current spot. The added space gave them 2500 square feet and prompted a name change to Bario's Pizzeria, Restaurant and Caterers.

What makes their place a cut above the rest?

"We are different in everything we make," said O'Brien. "We make everything fresh and made-to-order, hot for delivery. Most caterers use sternos. You can taste the difference."

The menu boasts delicious, scrumptious pasta dishes, deluxe-made pizza pies, freshly-tossed salads and mouth-watering entrees.

If one is inclined to think that the life of an entrepreneur is pretty, O'Brien would like the public to think again. "I wait tables here. I work at being the manager, at picking up the mop ... I have 20 different hats and I do 20 different jobs," he said.

Rapaglia said the pizzeria services all parts of New York City as well as New Jersey. A big part of their business includes providing food to several city agencies and pre-school programs on the Island.

O'Brien said owning a pizzeria wasn't just about his dream, there was something more he wanted.

"I wanted to be my own boss," he said.

O'Brien grew up in Graniteville in a community he said was good to him.

"My childhood was great. My parents were the best. They gave me everything," he said.

Almost in a parallel universe, hundreds of miles away on Montauk, L.I., Rapaglia -- whose father owned a pizzeria - dreamt the same dream as a young boy.

At age 13, Rapaglia's family chose to move to Staten Island -- a decision he admits he was not happy about initially.

"I loved Long Island," he said. "My father sold the pizzeria and I didn't want to move and have to go to a new school. When we moved I didn't like it, but when you're young you don't know how much you're going to love it in a new place."

It's been said that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. But if you're Rapaglia and O'Brien, the cooks, the a different approach for women is used.

For Rapaglia the approach was letters. He found his future wife through her brother whom he was already friends with.

"She was reluctant to meet me. I wrote her a letter and sent her the note with pictures."

What did the letter say?

"I heard great things about you. I would love to meet you," he recalled.

Eventually he was able to call her and ask her out on a date at which time, she told him: " 'I'm looking for a husband.' I happened to be ready to settle down. We both met at the right time. We were both ready to get married," he said, now married and the father of four.

O'Brien's love affair turned out to be kind of the stuff dreams are made of: When he first spotted Holly Briney at the St. Patrick's Day Parade last year.

Miss Briney, who was probably spotted by lots of young Irish men, would not have been hard to miss -- she was Miss Hibernia 2001 at St. Patrick's Day in Manhattan.

"It was definitely love at first sight," said O'Brien, 35. The two will be married this month.

Rapaglia said as with every good marriage, even the business union between he and his partner have an edge.

"The secret to getting along well is not seeing each other. When one is there, the other isn't," he said.

Life Philosophy (Mario Rapaglia):

 "We have a lot to be grateful for. We have a good business through a lot of hard work, for a lot of years on Staten Island. It has been very good to us and we always feel great about giving back to the community. Also, when I look at my wonderful wife -- my better half -- and my children, I know I am really fortunate. I am, and I have been, able to help others."

Goals

"To keep my foot on the pedal, keep going, staying strong and healthy and ensuring my children's future and teaching them to be productive citizens and to retire at a reasonable age."

Community Activities

Member, Staten Island Rotary Club; board of directors, Alzheimer's Association of Staten Island; advisory board member, American Cancer Society; vice president, Staten Island Bucks Business Network; member, Staten Island Chamber of Commerce; member, Staten Island Restaurant and Tavern Association.

Life Philosophy (Barry O'Brien):

"My philosophy is life is to be as much as I can be, in this great country with all of it's opportunities and to help others to do the same. God and this great country have been both kind and gracious to me so I wish to give back to it as much as I can and as often as I can and as often as I am able. I wish both to serve and help my country and to give future generations the same opportunities given to me. Fifty percent of my success in business is based on my work ethic. I always give 150 percent. I am not satisfied with my work day unless I am physically exhausted. I never stop to slow down, only to drop. Never say die; push, push, push. The other fifty per cent of my success is personality -- I'm just a nice guy."

Goals

 "I realized in truth, my goals in life are quite simple. I wish to marry, God willing, have children and be as my father is to me "the best dad in the world."

Community Activities

Member, South Shore Rotary Club; member, Ancient Order of Hibernians; member, Knights of Columbus; member, Irish Business Organization; member, Staten Island Restaurant and Tavern Association. END

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