Conversations with Eddie Cerino

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eddie Cerino.

Eddie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Eddie Cerino. I have been in the restaurant business for 50 years. My grandmother, Carrie Cerino, was the matriarch of our family. After settling in the States from Italy she started a bakery out of her house. After years of successful bakeries she along with her husband, two sons and daughter bought a 3200 sq ft home and turned it into a Italian restaurant. The next 25 years that 3200 sq ft home is now a 34,000 sq ft restaurant and party center.
Sadly, during covid my brother shut down the restaurant after 60 years.

I graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in 1980 and after years working with my family I decided to break out on my own and opened my first restaurant in 1985 with my new wife Elisha.

Fast forward 42 years we now have 3 restaurants in the Cleveland area, Eddie’s Pizzeria Cerino, Fast Eddie’s and Ciao Pizzeria Cerino. We are truly a family operation with my wife handling graphic design, food photography, my son Ed Jr. handling front of house operations and IT support and my daughter who handles operations, office and has started her own cookie brand called Sis’s Cookies that we feature in our restaurants.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Covid was tough
Cash flow in the early years
Heart attack in 2020

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
42 years in the business and the relationships that are built with staff is very rewarding. Having girls working through their pregnancy and then those same kids are working for you years later. We have matched 14 couples over the years that have gotten married and had kids. Mentoring staff that went on to making the food service their career.

How do you think about luck?
We have had our share of both. Bad luck means a little longer days a little harder work until the ship is right

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pizzeriacerino.com and www.Fasteddiesparma.com
• Facebook: Eddies Pizzeria Cerino Fast Eddies Parma Ciao Pizzeria Cerino