thedrifter
02-13-07, 04:08 PM
N.Y. diner serves it up free for combat vets
By Karen Jowers - Staff weiter
Posted : Tuesday Feb 13, 2007 16:49:16 EST
Two Big Apple purveyors of the 15-bite hotdog, Hungarian goulash and noodle kugel are showing their support for the troops by offering some free dinners at their upscale diner for Brooklynites returning from war.
“We wanted to show our appreciation for the troops. It’s the concept of the diner — it’s a comfort, like coming home, with recipes like your mother’s,” said John Fireman, who owns The Brooklyn Diner with his father, Shelly. They recently opened another Brooklyn Diner in Times Square.
He said the free dinners for returning service members and their families are worth about $200, and the “finer diner” offers many menu items that normally can be found only in a mother’s kitchen.
They’re just starting the free offer, working with the USO to get in touch with the returning veterans. “We would like to do it every month or so,” he said, but isn’t sure of the numbers of Brooklynites returning, so doesn’t know whether every Brooklynite veteran will get the free meal.
Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Anthony Mammoliti, his wife Maria and daughters Cristina, 14, and Josephine, 6, will get a free dinner on Valentine’s Day. Although Mammoliti has not deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, he has been mobilized since Jan. 17, 2003, working in the mobilization and demobilization processes at the Joint Readiness Center at Fort Dix, N.J.
“It’s a wonderful honor,” he said. “It’s a great thing to spend Valentine’s Day with my family in a very nice way. I never thought in a billion years I’d get the opportunity to do this. I’m proud to serve … making sure the troops get the best quality care before they go and when they return home.”
“How happy I am to do this,” Fireman said. “At a time when there’s a whirlwind of opinion, the one thing everyone agrees with is supporting the troops.”
Ellie
By Karen Jowers - Staff weiter
Posted : Tuesday Feb 13, 2007 16:49:16 EST
Two Big Apple purveyors of the 15-bite hotdog, Hungarian goulash and noodle kugel are showing their support for the troops by offering some free dinners at their upscale diner for Brooklynites returning from war.
“We wanted to show our appreciation for the troops. It’s the concept of the diner — it’s a comfort, like coming home, with recipes like your mother’s,” said John Fireman, who owns The Brooklyn Diner with his father, Shelly. They recently opened another Brooklyn Diner in Times Square.
He said the free dinners for returning service members and their families are worth about $200, and the “finer diner” offers many menu items that normally can be found only in a mother’s kitchen.
They’re just starting the free offer, working with the USO to get in touch with the returning veterans. “We would like to do it every month or so,” he said, but isn’t sure of the numbers of Brooklynites returning, so doesn’t know whether every Brooklynite veteran will get the free meal.
Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Anthony Mammoliti, his wife Maria and daughters Cristina, 14, and Josephine, 6, will get a free dinner on Valentine’s Day. Although Mammoliti has not deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, he has been mobilized since Jan. 17, 2003, working in the mobilization and demobilization processes at the Joint Readiness Center at Fort Dix, N.J.
“It’s a wonderful honor,” he said. “It’s a great thing to spend Valentine’s Day with my family in a very nice way. I never thought in a billion years I’d get the opportunity to do this. I’m proud to serve … making sure the troops get the best quality care before they go and when they return home.”
“How happy I am to do this,” Fireman said. “At a time when there’s a whirlwind of opinion, the one thing everyone agrees with is supporting the troops.”
Ellie