This morning I woke up missing my Grandfather, affectionately known as "Mondo". So, I decided to take a walk down memory lane. I went back to my hometown of Bloomfield and grabbed his favorite roll from Gencarelli's bakery and then drove down the shore (so north jersey) to one of our favorite places for tomatoes- Sickels Market in Little Silver, NJ. Mondo could take a few simple ingredients and make it taste and look like we just purchased it right from the streets of Italy. One of my fondest memories is going to Sickels as a child and loading up on tomatoes. We would make a simple tomato salad or sandwich and then jar the rest for use during the fall/winter. Today I'm making his simple sandwich with my Gencarelli's roll, jersey tomato, home grown basil and a drizzle of really good olive oil. Sprinkle with a little S&P. For me and my family, summer begins with tomatoes and of course, the jersey shore.
