SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
If you've been down Broadway in Sacramento, you know it's gone through some changes. Many businesses have shut down in the area, but there are a few that have stayed through it all. One of them is Sampino's Kitchen at Joe Marty's.
The Sampino family has served Italian classics for decades. Their family name is synonymous with good food and hard work. It's something Michael Sampino, the owner of Sampino's Kitchen at Joe Marty's, learned from his dad Bill.
Michael got his start selling tomatoes out of his dad's garage and his car. From there he grew and eventually bought his first storefront on 16th and F streets, Sampino’s Towne Foods.
"I come walking in one day and Mike's got a sledgehammer in his hand. He's knocking a wall out," Bill said. "He said, 'Dad, you've always wanted your own business, we're going to do it,' That's how it started."
The storefront turned into a delicatessen that’s served Italian classics for almost 20 years. Michael wanted more. He bought a historic building on Broadway in 2017, Joe Marty's.
“We're the fifth family to own it since 1938," said Michael.
Joe Marty’s isn’t just a restaurant but a piece of history — a name and bar that’s been around decades — once catering to fans and Sacramento Solons players at their home field of Edmonds Field on Broadway, now a Target.
“The old school people of Sacramento and people that are from Sacramento remember this was Italian. I just wanted to go back to their original idea,” said Michael.
When you step inside Sampino's Kitchen at Joe Marty's, it feels like a step back in time. Baseball jerseys line the walls with Michael wanting to pay homage to those who’ve played.
"I think people appreciate that no matter how minuscule the item is," said Michael. "It's important to me. I'm not trying to make it look old, I'm just an old soul."
Every piece of memorabilia in his restaurant has meaning from photos to figurines and nostalgic photographs from the '60s, '70s and beyond. He created a space for customers to marvel, recognize and remember a time of the past.
Plate by plate, things changed. Michael doesn’t let anything hit his menu unless he puts it there. His father and son even make the sausage in a hand crank grinder from 1893.
"We don't change anything about the way we are,” said Michael.
It's the family tradition and the 'thank you' from customers driving him. Being a business owner by day and cooking in his restaurant by night, Michael never forgets where his family started.
Sampino's Kitchen at Joe Marty's sits in a busy corridor that's gone through some changes, too. Michael says the city is putting a lot of attention on Broadway, and it's a welcome change that makes him hopeful for the future.
He's now passing down the values of pride and hard work to his son Giovanni.
"Every time we're together having dinner, we're always talking about work and I think that brings us really close together,” said Giovanni.
Three generations of Sampinos are working hard to keep good food, tradition and a legacy alive on Broadway.
