Joseph Anthony Vento (December 18, 1939 – August 23, 2011) was an American cook and restaurateur who founded Geno's Steaks, a cheesesteak restaurant, in 1966, starting a longtime rivalry with neighboring restaurant, Pat's King of Steaks.

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. Since ...

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 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 ma ...

on August 23, 2011 at his home in Shamong Township, New Jersey, 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