"Rocco Mastrangelo Jr. is the co-owner of Cafe Diplomatico, which has been a Little Italy staple since 1968 and was founded by his father Rocco Mastrangelo Sr. Mastrangelo said his father also used to own the Royal back when it was called the Pylon and focused on Italian cinema. "He actually owned seven Italian cinemas in the city of Toronto between the late 1960's and the mid 1980's, and the Royal was one of his cinemas," he said."
Geoff Pickering, current owner of the Royal Theatre in Little Italy, declined offers to sell the building to keep the theatre thriving. Renovations preserved many original elements from the 1930s while transforming the lobby into a bottle shop featuring specialty Italian items. Bottega Volo, a long-running Toronto business, opened in the theatre lobby and provides higher-end concessions for theatre-goers, including wine, gin martinis, and cicchetti. Julian Morana, co-owner of Bottega Volo, signed a 15-year lease to support the theatre’s continued success. The theatre’s Italian connections extend through Rocco Mastrangelo Jr. and Cafe Diplomatico, founded in 1968, and through family ownership of the Royal Theatre when it was called the Pylon.
Read at www.cbc.ca
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