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Norwalk's Ripka's At The Beach Is Ready With The Burgers, Lobster Rolls, Oysters, Fries & More!
Going to culinary school was just an excuse to find out what Clyde Ripka didn’t know about food. Turns out it wasn’t much.
When he was 12, the Long Island native and current East Fishkill, N.Y., resident, spent his summer traveling to a New Jersey Holiday Inn, where his father was a partner, to peel potatoes and wash dishes. By 14, Ripka, blonde and tall—the stereotypical surfer dude—was spending his summers surfing while working as a soda jerk at a Massapequa bowling alley.
“Surfing during the day and working at a restaurant at night was right up my alley,” Ripka recalled. “And the money …
