Angelo’s manager wins statewide award
Dawn Calabro originally had no plans to enter the hospitality industry. Still, she can recall the date of her first day working at Angelo’s almost as if it were yesterday: May 20, 2004.
She started at the original Angelo’s location in Washington on West Chestnut Street. By the time the restaurant was set to move to its luxurious new location in 2008, atop the hill just across from Wild Things Park and overlooking Washington Crown Center, Calabro said she’d fallen in love with the work and hasn’t looked back since.
For that dedication and hard work, manager Dawn Calabro was awarded the 2022 member manager of the year from the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association. She accepted her award at a Hershey ceremony on Sept. 12.
Calabro started as a bartender and a server on a break from school, studying criminal justice. She never returned to school and has absolutely no regrets about that. And looking at her seasoned career at the popular Washington family-owned restaurant, she has no reason to wonder what may have been.
During one busy weekday afternoon, Calabro sits down for an interview, coworkers popping in to ask questions about finicky split checks and such. She’s an active, fast-paced person, and that’s precisely the speed one needs to keep up at Angelo’s. You know it’s not a typical Italian eatery if you’ve been. Guests and coworkers, Calabro says, become more like friends and family. The staff members work so well together, coalescing like a well-oiled machine.
“Everybody becomes like family,” she says with a smile.
Calabro explains that she loves coming to work and everything about her job and her place of employment, down to the care taken with each dish, the quality ingredients, the family recipes and the at-home atmosphere.
In fact, she credits her job and coworkers for getting her through one of the most challenging times of her life: the loss of her husband last November. She put her whole self into work, crediting her strong work ethic to her hard-working parents. Family dinners, too, were important growing up. Now, she sees the importance of food as a connector each day, with each meal and friendly face.
Calabro loves providing guests with a holistic experience, one that is warm, welcoming and cozy. There are lots of repeat, regular customers. Families have grown up coming to Angelo’s, and generations have been celebrating weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and more with their quality food. There are no microwaves; everything is made to order with a high expectation of excellence, with no skimping or cutting corners.
It’s hard to pick a favorite dish, but Calabro’s current go-to is linguini arrabbiata, hold the pasta (she’s on a keto diet) over spinach. She loves spice, and the “angry pasta” is filled with hot sausage, onions, mushrooms and cheese with red pepper flakes and an oil and garlic sauce. Balsamic chicken also used to be a favorite. Calabro can also remember her first Angelo’s dish before she even began working: pasta Patricia (named for owner Michael Passalacqua’s mother), cajun style.
Across almost 20 years of service, it can be hard to pick out highlights. Getting through COVID, to be sure, was one constantly changing journey: limited seating, total shutdowns, tents outside. Calabro called it “an experience and a half.” She was especially proud of owner Passalacqua standing up to shutdown orders at the end of 2021, facing lawsuits and fines for violating indoor dining bans.
Calabro has, on several occasions, represented the restaurant at the Observer-Reporter’s annual Best of the Best gala. She recalls opening day at the new location: hectic, bustling and busy. Calabro thrives off that energy.
Outside of work, Calabro enjoys long walks with her loving 10-year-old pup Lola, exercising and gardening.
On the award, Calabro said it was an honor to be nominated by boss Michael Passalacqua, taken aback by the sentiment, grateful and blessed and still in shock. Calabro said she’s learned a great deal from working for Passalacqua, who has sent her twice to Texas for hospitality and management training. His heart and soul are the centers of his business, and the culture he has developed, Calabro said, is one where everyone cares and strives for greatness together.
The guests that continue to return prove there’s a good thing up on the hill at Angelo’s.