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Anthony Giaquinto, whose roots in Bergen County's pizza scene run deep, has opened Fat Bastard and Sons at 434 Route 46, continuing a family legacy of pizzerias.
Giaquinto previously ran Tony G's in South Hackensack, The Balcony in Carlstadt, G Millz in Hoboken and Prime Time Sports Bar in Carlstadt.
Giaquinto's mother, Mary Rose Giaquinto, was the longtime owner of Giaquinto's Old Judge, an institution in South Hackensack.
Now, Giaquinto is running Fat Bastard with his two sons, Dominick, a student at Montclair State University, and Anthony Jr., a police officer in Lyndhurst.
"We're trying to bring a nice family style spot back to South Hackensack," Giaquinto said. "I'm carrying on the tradition my mom started."
Giaquinto decided to get back into serving up pizza pies when he found a the convenient location right off the highway. Fat Bastard will be his final hurrah in the restaurant business and he looks forward to passing on the tradition to his sons, he said.
"I want my sons to experience what I experienced over the years," Giaquinto said. "One of the best parts is the families and people you meet. I spent a lot of years in this business and met some great people. I missed it."
Already customers of Old Judge have been coming back and paying their respects. A longtime resident of South Hackensack, Giaquinto believes it's the perfect place to own a pizzeria.
"South Hackensack is made up a lot of great families," Giaquinto said. "It's very diversified. My family has been forever, it's a great town and a good place to live."
Giaquinto jokes the secret to the perfect slice of pizza is a secret, but said people have always loved his family's thin crusts.
And while the name evokes memories of "Austin Powers," Giaquinto said it's simply a humorous nickname from his friends.
"I thought it would get people's attention and put a smile on someone's face," Giaquinto said.
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