Johnny Meatballs DeCarlo, The Meatball King of NJ

Shootin' Da Breeze Wit' Da Meatball King of New Jersey

Johnny "Meatballs" DeCarlo
"The Meatball King of New Jersey"

by Len Boccassini

    The first time Johnny DeCarlo and I crossed paths was purely coincidental. It began when I received a troubled call early one morning from the mayor of my hometown who related the fact that he was in somewhat of a bind. When prodded for details, he went on to explain that there was a local concert scheduled for the following evening with upwards of 500 people expected to be in attendance. I didn't quite see the problem with that until he went on to explain that, although it promised to be a great success, one minor detail for the evening's festivities had somehow been overlooked - the procurement of food vendors. Now, if my experience in this business has taught me anything, it's the irrefutable insight into the wrath of a hungry crowd. A somewhat troubled, "uh oh" flitted through my mind as a barely audible, "And?" slipped past my lips.

    "Well," he continued, "when it comes to anything food you're the first guy that comes to mind and I was hoping you could line somebody up for me."

    "And when did you say you need a vendor by?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

    "Tomorrow evening at seven," came his reply, followed by a silence that said far more than any of his words to that point.

    "Okay. Let me see what I can do," I responded as my mind raced through a mental Rolodex of every food truck vendor I knew. And as substantial as that list was, I knew it would be a Herculean task to secure someone on such short notice, particularly for an evening concert scheduled for a Tuesday night in the middle of the work week.

    Sure enough, I was right. As luck would have it, every mobile food vendor with whom I had forged relationships close enough to afford me the luxury of calling in a favor, were either unavailable, tied up with other obligations, or just unable to meet such a demand in a mere 24 hours. I fretted at the prospect of letting our good mayor down and realized that desperate times called for desperate measures; so I turned to Google and hoped my reputation would proceed me as I tried to coerce a stranger to cover the event.

    One of the first names I struck upon was someone named Johnny "Meatballs" who was alluded to as, "The Meatball King of New Jersey". I pondered the unusual moniker and figured, "Hmm, how bad can that be? Everybody loves meatballs." So I shot this complete stranger a quick email explaining my dilemma.

    Perhaps ten minutes had elapsed when I received a reply that contained a phone number and a willingness to bail me out of the sticky wicket I found myself immersed within. I was impressed by the gentleman's responsive and his obvious - albeit restrained - exuberance. I reached for the phone and excitedly dialed this Mr. "Meatballs".

    When the phone picked up, the voice on the other end of the line took me by surprise. The accent that emerged from the receiver was thick and filled with north Jersey slang, lingo and jargon. And although the dialect was so over-the-top New Jersey that I almost felt it might be a put-on, there was a genuineness to the inflection that kept the phone glued to my ear. After all, what did I expect the Meatball King of New Jersey to sound like? James Earl Jones?

    His words came fast and to the point and rolled forth with Joe Pesci-like precision; "Yeah sure, I'm inta doin' dis ding tomorrow night for ya. How many people ya got comin'? Sure, no problem, I can handle dat. Hey, I'm gonna be at Van Saun Park today in da Bawl Bus. Why don'tcha come on down n' I'll hook you up wit' some meatbawl sandwiches n' we can tawk abouddit. Okay, c'ya den."

    I hung up the phone and stared into space. My partner, Karen, asked what was wrong. I shook my head and responded, "Nothing at all. We're about to go meet Johnny Meatballs."

To make a long story short, that afternoon in Van Saun Park sparked a great friendship between myself and Johnny DeCarlo. What I found in that friend is a charismatic and caring family man who is part Italian chef, part entrepreneur and part entertainer. He's traveled a long road to find his meatball kingdom and that road has twisted through quite a few national television appearances along the way. He plays the self-promotion game like no one I've ever seen, but he plays it with such a genuine fidelity that it is hard to resist cheering him on. He gives to charities, gives to children and gives of himself. He smiles easily, he never hesitates to say how much he loves his family and he never shy's away from a hard day's work. Johnny DeCarlo has big dreams and an even bigger heart. He's a showman who just happens to love a good meatball. And that's okay by me; after all, he is The Meatball King of New Jersey.

An Interview with JOHNNY "MEATBALLS" DeCARLO; The Meatball King of New Jersey

In getting to know you, I've learned there are so many facets to Johnny DeCarlo that I'm actually at something of a loss as to exactly where I should begin. So rather than swirl the sauce around the meatball, let's just dive right into the heart of the matter and have you tell us exactly what "The Johnny Meatballs Experience" is and what is it all about?

Wow, that's a heck of a question to start with (laughs). Well, I always like to tell people "Johnny Meatballs" is like a tree where there's many different branches. It obviously starts with the food; the meatballs themselves. That's the big branch in the tree; the trunk. And then it grows out from there. You have the food first. Then you have the slogans and the schtick - you know, the whole "Got Balls" and "Meatball King of New Jersey" thing - that's a pretty big branch, too. And that, of course, ties into all the merchandise and stuff - the tee shirts and so forth. And then, you have this kinda intertwining branch that runs throughout everything and that is the "food entertainment". It all goes together. It fits.

I like to look at myself as someone who does food and entertaining. To me, they go hand-in-hand. Like dinner theater in the streets. And that of course, segues into yet another branch which is being in the streets and serving my food out of the "Meatball Bus", as well as the "Meatball Wagon".

So, that's probably the best way to answer your question - the "Johnny Meatballs Experience" is really a big tree that grows more branches every day. But it all starts with the food.

You've been quoted as saying that you're an entertainer at heart and that "Johnny Meatballs" is merely a character of John DeCarlo's creation. Do you ever have difficulty separating the two?

Yes. Worlds do collide - a lot! And to be honest with you, my wife and I have gotten to the point where basically Johnny Meatballs cannot operate in the home. Yeah, that's how it has to be. She used to help me out a lot with running the business, but over time, we found it was best that we keep the marriage "marriage" and the business "separate". For us, it weighed too much on our relationship and family life, and that's too important to both of us. It's too important to me. So that said, in the home I'm Johnny DeCarlo and outside I'm Johnny Meatballs.

Although you make no secret of the fact that the entertainment industry factors big into your scheme of things, you've always maintained your primary profession is serving up meatballs. If that's indeed the case, let's talk meatballs. What sets your balls apart from all others?

Well, to be honest, I absolutely believe my balls are the best around, but I let the customers decide. I guess if I can be as good as someone's Nonna, or grandmother, then to me, I did my job. I'm not trying to make them better than someone's grandmother, but if it's at least they're as good as they remember their Nonna making, I'm happy. And when they say something along those lines to me, I'm like, "Wow, that's affirmation!" The Meatball King of New Jersey thrives on that. (Smiles).

So is it safe to say that your Nonna was your inspiration in learning to cook your own style of Italian comfort food?

Definitely. Definitely, everything I cook is based upon my family upbringing; both my grandmothers, my mother and my aunts as well. Actually, all of the females in my family were really great cooks. Myself and my uncle - who actually went to culinary school and is a trained chef - are the only two males in my family who cook. In my case, the basis for cooking is based on home-made, home-style, old school Italian food that I grew up with and passed down to me from my grandmother and my aunts.

So with all that inspiration, why meatballs?

Well, you know, meatballs were always the centerpiece of the Sunday meal. Growing up, if someone asked me what my idea was of the Italian-American food that was - I don't want to say "quintessential" - but a food that really seemed to touch us on an emotional level, I'd have to say "meatballs". I mean there were a ton of things that we ate, all different. You're Italian, you know that. But every Sunday, we knew it was macaroni and meatballs and that was just tradition. So for me, it was only natural for meatballs to become the star of my show.

Also, I did not want to call myself "Johnny Sunday Gravy" or "Johnny Sunday Sauce" because there's that whole conflicting opinions thing on what it should be called. (Laughs). I didn't want to be like "Oh hi, I'm Johnny Sunday Gravy," and then they're like, "No, it's sauce!" Nope. It's Johnny Meatballs. Keep it simple.

So from one Italian guy to another. Is it "sauce" or is it "gravy"?

I call it "Sunday Gravy" when there's meat. Without the meat, it's the "sauce". That's my answer. That's my diplomatic answer. (Laughs).

So it's that hot of a debate?

Oh, yeah. People ask me that all the time and the sides are pretty strongly divided. Even in the street, I always make sure to write it out on the menu - "Sauce slash Gravy" - so there's no mistakes. We call it both. (Laughs).

This is your sixth year in business. Have things progressed according to plan up to this point?

Yes, definitely. Each year has been a progression. I'm only now starting to feel like - I don't want to say turning a profit - but I now know how to manage things better because

there's a lot of trial and error in this business and I burned through a lot of money that could have been used elsewhere. I had partners at one time and now I'm solo. The first couple of years you could say were a bit rough, but I've learned a lot. It's all good. Definite progress.

As the self-proclaimed, "Meatball King of New Jersey", is there any truth to the rumor that you offered Joseph Galuzzi - runner-up on "America's Next Great Restaurant" with Saucy Balls - a throw-down challenge?

Yes, I did. I wrote to him and requested a throw-down to see who had the better meatball, but nothing. I even asked to have Bobby Flay be the judge and really flip everything around, but he never responded.

"I have mixed feelings in regards to the Frankenfood experience, but no regrets at all. You get a chance to be on TV, you take it... I see that red light go on, and you know, I go into entertainment mode." ~ Johnny DeCarlo

This year you made a return to national prime-time television in SPIKE TV's cooking reality show, "Frankenfood". What was that experience like and how did you feel in regard to the end result?

I have mixed feelings in regards to the Frankenfood experience, but no regrets at all. You get a chance to be on TV, you take it. The publicity is great, but even more than the publicity, it's fun. I see that red light go on, and you know, I go into entertainment mode. That side of it, no regrets at all.

I don't even have any regrets as far as the dish I made, which was called the "Nut Ball" - the peanut butter and jelly meatball sandwich - because that was not my original recipe. I don't want to say I was forced to make it, but I was somewhat backed into a corner to do what I did. I could explain it all if there's time...

Sure, go right ahead.

Well, basically, myself and Frankie Antipasto, who is often my sidekick and someone who I work with a lot out in the streets, responded to an ad for the Frankenfood television show. The ad said you basically had to marry two foods together that really didn't belong together to create what they called a "Frankenfood" dish.

So, Frankie and I invented this sandwich that contained all the contents of the Sunday gravy or sauce pot plus the antipasto. It was a wacky combination for a sandwich that we thought if nothing else, would definitely get us into the show. We called it the "Sunday Gravy/Sauce On A Roll". In truth, it was this big, long roll that had one side filled with sausage, braciole, meatballs and the sauce/gravy. Then, on the the other half of the sandwich there was soppressata, provolone, mozzarella - in other words, it was the whole Sunday table on this massive roll. And as wacky as it sounds, it was really, really delicious.

Anyway, we ran with the idea and went to Chef Central for the audition. They all loved the sandwich and they loved us and it seemed like we were a shoe-in. We both left there really confident. So then maybe a week goes by and I get a call from the producer who says to me, "This entry is not Frankenfood-ish enough. We want something that will turn America upside down. This isn't crazy enough. You've got three days to come up with another entry."

Well, needless to say, we were really upset. And Frankie, he was really insulted. Frankie is all about the food. I mean, yeah, he's a comedian and does all his crazy antics and so forth, but he is really all about the food and he takes it very seriously. Insulting his food is like insulting his kid. He was so upset about the whole thing that he said, "I don't wanna be a part of this, Johnny," and just dropped out of it. That left me and three days to come up with something.

If you think about it, three days is not a heckuva lot of time to come up with something and I knew they wanted crazy. That's a lot of pressure. We tried different things and decided on a peanut butter and jelly meatball sandwich. I don't really remember for sure where that idea came from, but I would have to say it had something to do with marrying an American favorite with an Italian favorite. Either way, I put it on bread, then dipped the whole thing in pancake batter and deep fried it. The combination actually sounds good, and I tried to model it a little bit after a Monte Cristo, but I guess that's probably where I went wrong because it ended up being a little too oily and greasy. If I had to do it all again, I probably would've done things a bit differently. But even so, surprisingly, Tony Luke liked it a lot. That Josh Capon, though, is tough. Oh, oh is he tough. It would've been nice to go onto the next round, but the exposure was good and of course it was another opportunity. And I have to say, the girl who won did a great job. Her Bacon/Oatmeal Stuffed Apple really did look great.

For those who may not know, SPIKE TV's Frankenfood was not your first foray into the realm of prime-time reality television. I'm referring to your stint on VH1's "My Big Friggin' Wedding". How did that come about and what kind of impact has it had on what you're doing today?

Well, actually, our son Christian was born on the show, so if nothing else, we have a tape for life of him being born. And of course, our wedding video is a reality show. How many people have that? (laughs). Seriously, it all came about on a whim. I saw an ad on the internet that said, "Engaged couples in NJ looking to throw the ultimate, big, Italian-style wedding." I sent in some pictures of me and my fiance' and they wrote back saying we looked great and to come in for an audition. That Friday, I told her we had to go to New York on Sunday for something or other. The audition was at the Staten Island Hilton Garden Inn and I didn't say a word about it until Sunday. Sunday morning I finally told her what was going on (laughs). She said, "I don't wanna do this. This is crazy!" I said, "Come on, please just do it. We're probably not gonna get picked anyway."

She finally agreed to go and I asked her to "guidette" herself really good (laughs) - you know; the make-up, the big hoop earrings, black leather skirt, the poofed up hair, the whole deal. It was funny, we walked into the lobby of the hotel and this girl came right up to us and said, "You two look great. We're holding a casting call for a reality show." She had no idea that's why we were there! From that moment, that was it. We got picked right away. We filmed for the next nine and a half months, all through Megin's pregnancy.

As far as the impact the show had on me, personally? Well, at the time we did "My Big Friggin' Wedding" there were probably five, six, seven other New Jersey/New York-based shows that were being filmed at the same time - The Cake Boss, Jerseylicious, Jersey Couture, Momma's Boys from the Bronx, Carfellas... there were a bunch of 'em. And once you do one reality show, it's like you become a part of some type of a club. We all met each other at some point and intermingled at parties and so forth. And besides becoming more public and more well-known, the show was for me kinda like a launching pad of sorts. You know, I'd rather be recognized as "Johnny Meatballs" than just some guy who was on a reality show, but in truth, the recognition allowed me to become Johnny Meatballs and that's actually where Johnny Meatballs was born. I first transformed into Johnny Meatballs on My Big Friggin' Wedding reality show. It was a wedding show, obviously, but believe me, I tried as best as I could to slip a meatball in every time the camera was rolling (laughs).

"I was a big fan of Guy Fieri when he first burst onto the scene... He played upon his appearance, the way he dressed, his lingo and slang, and definitely, his outrageous attitude. I can relate to that and I got that. I got the vibe of what he was doing." ~ Johnny DeCarlo

How did you meet your wife, Megin, and what influenced the creation of "Johnny Meatballs"?

Well, before the show I was at a crossroads career-wise. I was selling popcorn at Dale & Thomas Popcorn, which is where I met Megin. Anyway, they laid everybody off during the holidays; it was corporate sales and you know how that is. So right after the holidays, I was out of work and that's actually when Megin and I got together. We formed this catering business called Bonnie and Clyde's Catering Service. Yeah, that's what we called it (laughs), Bonnie and Clyde's. Anyway, we were testing the waters and it seemed whenever I did meatballs, people went bonkers. The meatballs blew away everything else and more and more, people always seemed to ask for the meatballs. They raved about 'em. After awhile, I just figured, "Let me just specialize in the meatballs." As for the name "Johnny Meatballs", well I was segueing into Johnny Meatballs right about that period. I was doing the show and just said, "Ba-boom, let's just do it. Let it all really become me." And that's what happened. Again, the show was absolutely the launching pad for the whole Johnny Meatballs persona.

I'd be remiss if I did not ask this question, Johnny - Is reality television "reality" television? In other words, is what we are being shown "real" to any significant degree?

To put an actual percentage on what's real and what's not so real is tough, and I don't really know if I can do that. But I guess a good way to put it is that the reality of it all is in the eye of the beholder. I say that because there's so much footage that no one ever sees. Really. Think about it, we did nine and a half months of shooting and we were in nine of the ten episodes. Figure they're one hour episodes and we're in maybe four scenes in each show that last about three or four minutes. So what does that break down to? Do the math. Maybe ten or fifteen minutes per show times nine episodes - that's nine and a half months of filming boiled down to two and a half hours of our lives, tops. So when somebody asks if reality TV is actually real, to a large degree it is. But by the same token, they crunch nine and a half months of your life into two hours, and yes, you may have seen 30 seconds that were real, but you're only seeing 30 seconds of a day that might have been nine hours worth of filming. That means they only let you see what they want you to see and how they decide to edit it. A great example is the time when Megin and I were picking out our wedding invitations. There was a scene where we were having a momentary argument about one particular invitation. Well, our time at the invitation store might've lasted all day long and we may have come to a very nice resolution and conclusion, but you're only going to see the argument. So is it real? Yeah, it's real, but it's selectively real. You're only going to see what they want you to see. Everything is edited.

Was there any portion of the show that in retrospect, you may have been less than happy with?

I was fine with the whole thing. I was good with it all. I didn't have any complaints. Megin was fine with it too for the most part. She does have a little regret that she'd gotten into a little argument with her mother on the wedding day. Looking back, it was kinda silly, but you can't have any regrets. You know what you're getting into with that.

Shifting gears, but sticking with the television theme, are there any TV cooking personalities you are particularly enamored with?

I was a big fan of Guy Fieri when he first burst onto the scene. I thought he was great because he was all schtick, too. He played upon his appearance, the way he dressed, his lingo and slang, and definitely, his outrageous attitude. I can relate to that and I got that. I got the vibe of what he was doing. Also, Nadia G. who does the Bitchin' Kitchen show that I think is really cool because she does the same thing too. I'd love to cook with her someday.

You've mentioned on several occasions that one of your greatest ambitions is to ultimately have a weekly television program. As an entrepreneur in the food industry, if the opportunity ever presented itself and came more deeply steeped in Reality TV as opposed to culinary television, do you think it would foil your credibility as a serious creator of food, or would that even matter at all to you?

I gotta tell you, if I ever got a shot at another reality show, I can say with certainty that there's an 85 to 90 percent chance I'd take it. The only time I would turn it down is if they were showing Italians in a bad light or if it would make my family look bad.

A lot of people don't know this, but I actually auditioned for Jersey Shore before My Big Friggin' Wedding came along and they wanted me. They said, "Oh, you got the look, you got the attitude, you got the whole thing." But I decided not to go any further with it because I knew what they were trying to do there and that just wasn't me. At the time, things were just getting started with Megin and me, and I didn't want to jeopardize our relationship. I say that because, let's face it, I knew what they were after - they wanted me to go drink and hook up with every girl and act like an idiot, and that just wasn't me. I wasn't like that when I was a teenager or in my twenties, why was I gonna do that at that point. I was never into that kinda party scene. So I turned it down.

If you could forget the food business in lieu of acting, would you do it?

Honest answer? Yes, I would. In a heartbeat I would.

I appreciate your honesty. But let me ask you; if your television aspirations never come to fruition, would you be satisfied making a simple living in the food industry? Perhaps your own meatball restaurant?

Yes. That would be my ultimate goal if I could not make it as an entertainer of some sort. I would be very happy to run my own establishment.

Few play the promotion game better than you, John. Is your new line of personalized specialty soda merely part of that promotion game or is it something special in its own right?

Len, the specialty soda is just another branch in the tree. Without veering off on another topic - which for me is easy to do - I like to have all the branches working in synch and thriving as best as they can. I'm always open to new ways to market myself and the Johnny Meatballs brand, but sometimes it's difficult. It's never easy when you're a one-man show like me. But I do my best to keep the wheels on the bus spinning together. But to answer your question about the soda; yes, it's a great product and another branch in the Johnny Meatballs tree.

I've heard about a documentary in the works. Care to share any details?

Sure. It's called "The Johnny Meatballs Experience" and we call it our "docu-MEAT-ary". Basically, it's a year-in-the-life of Johnny Meatballs. It's a film that focuses on all the stuff I'm always talking and blogging about and on Facebook about and in the streets about. It's all been streamlined into a film. The big payoff in the end is where I to get to serve my food at last February's Super Bowl at the Meadowlands in New Jersey.

Did that actually happen?

Yes, and it was an amazing day! A tremendous day on many different levels; in fact, the biggest day I ever had as Johnny Meatballs. We wanted the film to be out by now, but we've had some post-production hang-ups. But it'll definitely be out in 2015.

I know as a mobile food vendor, you can be found at a variety of events and locations during your "season", but do you offer catering services for private parties and so forth, and if so, where can one contact you?

Yes, I do still do catering. In fact, I love doing it. I believe in speaking directly to my customers and can be found all over the internet - Google, Facebook, Twitter - I'm easy to find. I'm also big into catering. I'll come to your home with the Ball Bus and serve you directly. Small parties, large parties, anything you like.

So where does Johnny Meatballs go from here? Any surprises for the coming year?

I want to leave with - "The best is yet to come." I've grown and expanded and will continue to do so. I'll be more open to new ideas, more than ever before and I'm always looking to expand my reach. And in some way, shape or form, I'll be back on TV in 2015. Like I said, "The best is yet to come."

I believe that sincerely, my friend. The best is yet to come...

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