Nicola Pizza’s herb garden is all about quality control

My family and I ate dinner at Nicola Pizza recently. We were seated at one of the big tables by the window close to Route 1. About halfway through the meal, I noticed what appeared to be an herb garden at the base of the billboard immediately outside the restaurant. The next day, I spoke with Nick Caggiano Jr., son of founders Joan and Nick Sr. He confirmed it was an herb garden, but said I should speak with his dad about it, because it’s his.

A few days later, I was sitting in Nick Sr.’s second-floor office. He said they’ve been growing the restaurant's own herbs and spices for nearly as long as the restaurant has been in business.

“These things go back 40 years,” he said, holding a bunch of dried herbs.

Nick Sr. has been gardening his whole life. He said when he was a kid, his parents would supplement their income by selling produce they grew in their yard. Tomatoes, peppers, whatever, he said.

Nick Sr. said it’s all about quality control. From the spices to the end product, it’s all homemade, he said, reminding me that they make their dough fresh every day.

In addition to the small garden at the restaurant, Nick Sr. said there’s a larger one at his home. His garage is the drying shed.

“Spices are like everything else. When they get old, they lose their flavor,” said Nick Sr. “That’s why we grow as much of our own product as we can.”

A businessman at heart, Nick Sr. was happy to promote the restaurant’s use of fresh herbs and spices, but he also wouldn’t say specifically what kind he grows.

“I can’t get into what I use,” he said, with a smile.

Old billboards are a snapshot in time

From the Nassau Bridge to Dewey Beach, there are dozens of billboards along the Route 1 corridor. Every now and then, when leases expire and current advertisements are removed, the original billboard is exposed. More often than not, these old ads don’t pique my interest. However, every now and then one does. That happened recently when I noticed an old McDonald’s billboard at the Nassau Bridge advertising half a dozen locations from the bridge down to the boardwalk in Ocean City, some of which I know are no longer open. I think the Dr. Seuss-looking McDonald’s logo to the left is what initially caught my attention.

I reached out to Mike Meoli, owner/operator of 25 McDonald’s restaurants in Delaware and Maryland, to see if he knew how old the billboard was.

Meoli said he too had noticed the billboard and confirmed that two of the restaurants had closed – Ocean City boardwalk and the downtown Rehoboth Beach store. He said the Rehoboth Avenue store closed in 2001, and he’s fairly certain the one on the Ocean City boardwalk closed in the late ‘90s or early 2000s as well.

“I estimate this board to have been installed between 1994-96 based on the ‘new’ tag next to the OC boardwalk at Somerset,” said Meoli. “Clear Channel needs to cover that thing up, even though we still have ‘great value’ after all these years!”

Joke of the Week:

According to multiple online calendars, the second Friday in July is National French Fry Day. This year, that’s Friday, July 12, which happens to coincide with the publication of this column. There are few summer treats better than fresh french fries, which is why I can pound a bucket of Thrasher’s without even thinking about it. As always, send jokes to cflood@capegazette.com.

Q: Why did the french fry win the race?

A: Because it was fast food.