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Pasta, Pesci, and Puccini at The Victor Cafe

Cities beyond Philadelphia may have restaurants with operatic themes and even singing servers, but how many are the outgrowth of a gramophone shop?  The walls of The Victor Cafeare full of reminders of a time when recording artists signed autographs at the shop or came in to sing.

The Italian neighborhood of South Philly was the venue for the late John DiStefano to build on his love and knowledge of opera. He opened his Victor record shop in 1918. And as time passed, The Victor Cafe was born - a place where opera still abounds.

http://youtu.be/kizabKuU4E0

Victor010614MDLF.mp3
On a cold night in December, The Victor Cafe's manager, Darryl Williams gives some insight into the establishment's past and a glimpse at its future. Listen to these excerpts of Williams' interview with Meridee Duddleston.