Joseph Anthony Vento (December 18, 1939 – August 23, 2011) was an American cook and restaurateur who founded

Geno's Steaks Geno's Steaks is a Philadelphia restaurant specializing in cheesesteaks, founded in 1966 by Joey Vento. Geno's is located in South Philadelphia at the intersection of 9th Street and Passyunk Avenue, directly across the street from rival Pat's Kin ...

, a

cheesesteak A cheesesteak (also known as a Philadelphia cheesesteak, Philly cheesesteak, cheesesteak sandwich, cheese steak, or steak and cheese) is a sandwich made from thinly sliced pieces of beefsteak and melted cheese in a long hoagie roll. A popular r ...

restaurant, in 1966, starting a longtime rivalry with neighboring restaurant,

Pat's King of Steaks Pat's King of Steaks (also known as Pat's Steaks) is a Philadelphia restaurant specializing in cheesesteaks, and located at the intersection of South 9th Street, Wharton Street and East Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia, directly across the ...

Early life

Joseph Anthony Vento, a third generation Italian American, was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

to Eva and James Vento. He dropped out of school in the 9th grade to assist his father in running a restaurant.

Restaurant business

Vento opened ''Geno's Steaks'' in 1966 on the corner of 9th and Passyunk, starting a longtime rivalry that is ongoing with Pat's King of Steaks. His restaurant is considered one of Philadelphia's Big Three cheesesteak establishments and is open 24/7. Vento serves his cheesesteak without chopping the steak and believes

provolone Provolone (, ) is an Italian cheese. It is an aged ''pasta filata'' (stretched-curd) cheese originating in Campania near Vesuvius, where it is still produced in pear, sausage, or cone shapes long. Provolone-type cheeses are also produced in othe ...

is the preferred cheese to be added.

Controversy

Vento has been accused of discrimination on multiple occasions against Hispanics and immigrants who had trouble speaking English. Vento's family and Geno's steaks has never officially apologized for the sign. Many people claim this is to not interfere with their business to anti immigration supporters. In 2006, his sign, which stated "This is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH.", generated controversy and received attention from the Commission on Human Relations for possible violation of Philadelphia's ordinance due to discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. The ruling in 2008 stated the sign was not in violation of ordinance. Vento has denied accusations of racism, stating he has never turned away anyone on the basis of race or language but many locals of eastern Asian and Latin American descent have spoke of times where they have been refused service for ordering with an accent.

Death

Vento died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on August 23, 2011 at his home in

Shamong Township, New Jersey Shamong Township is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 6,460, a decline of 30 (-0.5%) from the 2010 census count of 6,490, which in turn reflecte ...

, at the age of 71. Ownership of Geno's Steak was passed to his son Geno, whom he named after the restaurant.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vento, Joey American chefs American male chefs American people of Italian descent 1939 births 2011 deaths People from Shamong Township, New Jersey