Biz Buzz

Canale's restaurant is ramping up for their 60th year of business in 2014 . Looking up, Nick Canale was deep in thought as memories of his grandparents rushed back to him.

     " They were hardworking people who cared about their family and they cared about the little things at work," Canale said in a firm, strong voice with a hint of pride. His grandparents, Mike and Rae Canale, were the original owners and creators of Canale's Restaurant. Nick Canale is now part owner and manager of the establishment that has been opened and serving the Oswego community since 1954.

     "They were very accommodating people to their customers, to their friends and their family. They were active and involved in the community," Canale said. "I look up to them."

     He explained that his grandfather's parents came over from Italy through Ellis Island in the early 1900s and moved to Watertown, N.Y. There his grandfather met Rae and they married. Together they opened Canale's Restaurant with the purpose of serving homemade Italian cuisine. Today, Canale's has two locations, the original one in Oswego and a smaller one in Liverpool. The restaurant not only offers homemade products but distributes their pasta, sauces and dressings to local stores such as the Big M Supermarket, Ontario Orchards and the Price Choppers in the immediate central New York area.

     According to Canale, they do not use any preservatives or additives in their homemade products.

     "The recipes that we have for most of our homemade products have been handed down in our family for a few generations," Canale said. "We try to keep them as confidential as we can but everyone that works here, that makes the products knows what we are putting in each. We use the freshest ingredients possible."

     Canale has been working in the restaurant, with his father, since he graduated from the University of Rochester where he majored in Economics, in the early 1990s.

     "I grew up with the business, it's what I do," Canale said. He also works with his brother, Michael Canale, who is in charge of the kitchen. "I wasn't thinking that this was what I would come back and do but as I tried some other things in college I decided that being a business for myself was something that I would enjoy."

     Canale said that since its inception, the restaurant has undergone a variety of expansions and improvements. The latest renovation is the courtyard added this summer, complete with outdoor dining, a bar and restrooms.

     "When we add things on to the restaurant, we try to keep an Italian theme," Canale said. He also said that his Italian heritage plays a big role in his family relationships and identity. " We live in a big melting pot these days but to have some roots, and to have something to hold onto that says our family has these traditions and these things we continue to do is important."

     When it comes to competition, Canale explained that they stay away from focusing on other restaurants and focus on their own improvements. " We try to say what can we do to make our restaurant more appealing to customers?" Canale said. "We can only work on what we do."

     Canale said that on of their main focus is customer service. With more than 75 employees, it becomes a challenge to manage all of the work but they appreciate loyal customers.

     As a family and a business, Canale's Restaurant is constantly involved in the community. They have supported numerous organizations and charities such as the Red Cross and provided coupons for the Oswego Public Library summer reading program.

     "Our family, our employees, all have roots in the Oswego community," Canale said. "We try to be an active participant in helping our community."