The region’s beloved Italian restaurant reflects on its past while making big plans for the future.
By Amanda Larch
HQ 118 | SUMMER 2022
Forty-five years ago, Fleetwood Mac dominated the airwaves, Star Wars premiered in theaters and Rocco Muriale Sr. opened the doors to his small Italian restaurant in Ceredo, West Virginia, for the first time.
Rocco said he remembers those first customers crowding Rocco’s Ristorante, adding he couldn’t have picked a better location for his restaurant.
“I’m that kind of guy that likes little hole-in-the-wall joints,” Rocco said. “This place had something special that’s hard to put your finger on. I just knew it was perfect.”
When Rocco had a chance to move a few years after first opening in 1977, he realized the area was perfect for his business; instead of relocating, he expanded into the space it occupies today.
“As it turned out, locating in Ceredo was the best move I made,” Rocco said. “The place fit the town. A quaint little restaurant in this beautiful, peaceful, scenic setting was perfect.”
About 15 years ago, he embarked on the next evolution of Rocco’s Ristorante: a frozen food line.
“It was always a mystery to me how it was done,” he noted. “I was curious about that business, so I finally got together with a local guy to start making some product. I started making sausage first, then graduated into lasagna. I ended up with my own USDA plant. It’s been doing well.”
What makes Rocco’s frozen food unique is not only what it has, like fresh, quality ingredients, but also what it lacks.
“Most of the food in the frozen food business is just as cheap as they can possibly make it; there’s all kinds of tricks. I don’t have any gimmickry in mine,” Rocco explained.
Rocco always hoped his family would be involved in the restaurant, and since he stepped down following a health scare, his son took over, bringing to the table a knowledge of social media and a knack for being in tune with food and drink trends.
Now, Rocco can sit up front on busy nights, playing the saxophone or piano and chewing the fat with diners, something he never had time for before. Meanwhile, Rocco Jr. is turning into the one who doesn’t come out from the kitchen.
“I’ve always wanted to see my family involved in the restaurant, but I was never pushy,” Rocco said. “Just because I like it doesn’t mean that my kids, my wife or anybody has to like this. If you don’t like this business, you can’t work in it, period.”
Rocco Jr. said telling his father he was ready to make the move was the best thing he ever did, and it was a dream come true for his father.
“I’m very grateful,” Rocco Jr., now a part owner, said. “It’s amazing that I get to carry on my father’s legacy. My wife will eventually get involved, and hopefully my son will have an interest.”
When Rocco first thought about opening his own place in the Huntington area, he imagined selling pizzas and hoagies. While that idea never took flight, he said it’s a distinct possibility in the future.
“I still have this inner urge for my original concept, pizzas and a few sandwiches,” Rocco said. “We have the space to do it, but I don’t know if I have the juice to do it.”
However, Rocco Jr. is eager to step up and lend his father a helping hand.
“Our family owns a few adjacent properties on Main Street, and we envision turning the block into our version of New York City’s historic Mulberry Street,” said Rocco Jr. “We have big plans, including introducing takeout, expanding our catering and building a banquet space. We’re going to grow this area.”
That said, Rocco Jr. said he wants to keep Rocco’s Ristorante as authentic as possible.
“If I change anything, it might be the carpet,” he said with a laugh. “I’m not changing as far as the menu goes.”
The community has supported Rocco’s Ristorante in its 45 years of business, and the Muriales have always given back as much as they can.
“I can’t say enough about how supportive the Huntington, Ashland and Ceredo-Kenova areas have been over the last four and a half decades,” said Rocco. “I wouldn’t leave this area for anything. It’s been a wonderful ride.”
