History of Fay's Restaurant

* Fay DiPiro was born Fay Costa in Fabrizia, Italy in 1919.

* Fay came to America in 1931 when she was 12 with her parents’ Francesco and Raffaela, sister Rosa (3) and her brother James (2). Brother Mike and Sister Mary were born in America.

* The Costa’s settled in Claremont, NH where Fay’s father owned a cobbler shop.

* Fay learned most of her cooking skills from her mother Raffaela, who would make fresh sausages and hang them to cure in her parlor.

* Fay married and had her only child, Evelyn in 1938. * Fay worked at the old Lucas’s Diner and Smith’s Restaurant in New Bedford, MA as well as Nap’s on the bridge in Fairhaven, MA.

* Fay and her husband, Alexander, worked as chefs at resorts in Vermont, Naples, Fla and Thousand Islands in New York.

* In 1951, Fay, Alexander and Evelyn settled in Fairhaven, MA where Alexander worked as a chef and bar manager at Haskells (now Freestones), which was owned by his brother, Anthony

* Fay’s beloved husband, Alexander died in 1958 of Hodgkin’s disease.

* In 1959, Fay and younger brother Mike went to work for the Nest restaurant in Mattapoisett.

* In 1961 Fay and Mike opened the kitchen of the “Knotty Pine” (which was formally Lil’s Sea Grill) in the North End of New Bedford. At that time it was owned by Tony Lopes and in 1963 Fay and Mike bought the whole business from him.

* In 1965, Mike went on to open Mike’s Restaurant in Fairhaven.

* Fay continued to run the Knotty Pine with the help of her family. Sister Rosa, Niece Donna, Nephew Ronnie (who today has his own restaurant in Freetown called Nephew’s), Great Nieces Rebecca and Jessica, daughter Evelyn, grand daughter Elizabeth and grandson Matthew all worked at the Knotty Pine, making it truly a family business!

* Fay retired in 1983, when daughter Evelyn took over.

* In 1998 Fay’s daughter Evelyn and grandson Matthew opened Fay’s in Dartmouth.