The Cupertino Courier

Photograph by Janet Orsi

Michael Galano began cooking at age 11 when a teacher sent him home after a schoolyard brawl.

Galano's Italian restaurant offers an international flair

By Justin Berton

Mussolini was not particular about what he ate.

Sophia Loren, of course, ate light.

And President Clinton was all over the chocolate cheesecake.

Master Chef Michael Galano has fed these people and thousands of others his homestyle Italian cuisine for more than 50 years.

For the past 25 years, every Tuesday through Sunday, he has opened the doors of his own Galano's Restaurant, on Hollenbeck Avenue in Sunnyvale.

"You don't have to wear a suit and tie to come in here," the 74-year-old Galano said. "You just come as you are."

Galano began cooking at age 11 when a teacher sent him home after a schoolyard brawl. His father gave him a choice: behave in school or start working. The next morning, at 5 a.m., young Michael appeared at the foot of his parents' bed with suitcase in hand. "I want to go work with Grandpa," he told them.

After learning the art of food from his grandfather, Galano worked in Switzerland, France and Austria. He returned to his hometown of Sorrento, Italy, where he became the private chef to German and Italian officials during World War II.

Il Duce, he said, ate just about anything.

Now, customers of no particular rank or order can feast on his wide range of freshly prepared dishes.

Whole wheat spaghetti with steamed broccoli is prepared with sautéed garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese in a mildly spicy sauce for $11.95.

The antipasti "voted No. 1" by Galano's customers is potato dumplings with meat sauce and cheese for $4.95. One of Galano's favorite dishes to prepare--though he said he likes to make everything--is veal. His calf sweetbreads with olive oil and garlic in a wine mushroom sauce ($12.95) once had another chef from a French restaurant begging to know how he did it.

The only complaint heard from customers is the wait, Galano said. On Fridays and Saturdays, the place is packed. Galano put an end to lunches--except for Fridays--because people on the go didn't save time to enjoy the Italian cuisine. "It was always 'Hurry, hurry, hurry,' " said Lucia, Galano's wife of 27 years.

Most of the herbs and vegetables used are picked by Lucia in their back yard at their Cupertino home. The bread put on the tables is baked fresh each day.

The day the president was to eat at the restaurant, fax machines, phone lines and impromptu security cameras set up by the Secret Service filled the dining room. One of Galano's regulars is a friend of Clinton's and was hosting a reception for him.

After word spread, crowds surrounded the restaurant, and the president got cold feet. So Galano sent him a slice of the specially prepared chocolate cheesecake. The president sent back a letter of thanks.

After 50 years of serving food, what's one less meal?

Galano's Restaurant, 1635 Hollenbeck Ave., Sunnyvale. Hours: Tue.-Thu. 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Sun. 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., and lunch on Fri. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

[ Back to Contents Page | Cupertino Courier Home Page | Archives ]