Never underestimate a self-described “stubborn Italian guy from the Bronx.”
Jay Carlucci is the proof.
In 2006, Carlucci, 39, purchased the Dew Drop Inn, a bar at the corner of North Avenue and Roosevelt Drive in Derby.
The odds were against him, to say the least.
He had no previous business experience. Less than two years after buying the place, the economy jumped off a bridge, taking out a number of established Derby bars.
And he was a Valley outsider, commuting to Derby every day from Mount Vernon, N.Y.
Who was this tough guy with the Bronx accent suddenly owning a bar in Derby?
Fast forward six years and you can’t get into the Dew on Thursdays for steak night. It’s that busy.
And Carlucci has established himself as a small business owner with a big heart.
He’s on the planning committee for the Naugatuck Valley – Shelton Relay for Life, scheduled to start in downtown Shelton June 2. Click here for the group’s Facebook page.
The Relay for Life is extremely personal for Carlucci. He lost his mom, Annette, to cancer over the summer. His wife, Kenna, originally from Oxford, lost her grandmother to the disease last year as well.
The Dew Drop Inn has a team participating in the Relay for Life. They’re looking to raise $10,000 for the cause.
To reach that goal, the Dew Drop is hosting “Eat and Drink for Life” on Saturday, May 19. For every beverage and plate of food served, the bar will be donating $1 to the Relay for Life. Click here for more details.
Here is the flier for the event. Article continues after the document.
Dew Fundraiser for Relay for Life
The Valley Indy recently sat down with Carlucci and Kenna, to talk about love, life and business at the Dew.
Valley Indy: Jay, where you are from?
Jay Carlucci: “The Bronx, but we moved around a lot growing up. I started out at 151st St., which is the south Bronx and then we kept moving north, basically. My mother, when I was in my late teens or so, moved into Mount Vernon.”
Valley Indy: Why did you go into the bar business?
Jay: “I was working at lumber yards in the Bronx and Westchester County. I got sick of working for other people. At around the same time my sister’s daughter was born. My father was never around growing up and the arrival of my niece just motivated me to do something else with my life.”
Valley Indy: How did you wind up in Derby?
Jay: “The bar’s previous owner’s Realtor knew a mutual friend. I had been looking in New York to stay close to my family, but it was just too expensive. The price was right here, basically.”
Valley Indy: What were those first days like as a new business owner?
Jay: “I was communing from New York every day, at first. Then the winters came. For those first two years, I was sleeping in the bar until the roads were clear. At other times I slept in my car in the parking lot. Then, in the third year, I moved to a one-bedroom apartment in Ansonia. I slept on an air mattress and there was no furniture.”
Valley Indy: You had no real business experience when you opened. Were you scared?
Jay: “There was no fear or second-guessing. To me the only negative aspect was being away from my family in New York. I missed not being able to get into my car and see my family any time I wanted to. That was the only thing I didn’t like.”
Valley Indy: Was not being from the area a challenge at first?
Kenna: “He was an outsider, without a doubt. People were wondering what he was up to. But he overcame it by being personable. That was how he fit in. From the beginning he said he would build the business one person at a time. He established friendships and loyalties one person at a time.”
Jay: “The worse the economy became, the harder I’ve worked. I’m just a stubborn Italian from the Bronx. I tried to take more responsibilities here, whether it was cooking or bartending or cleaning. What better way to learn than to actually be involved from top to bottom?”
Valley Indy: The Dew is always spreading the word about local fundraisers, but you’ve never done anything quite like “Eat and Drink for Life.”
Jay “My mother passed away from breast cancer over the summer. She worked for the New York City school district as a teacher, then as a secretary for the Board of Education. Then she became a union representative, the first non-teacher to hold that position. After she passed, her friends and colleagues honored her by holding a “Making Strides Walk” to raise money for cancer research. My family went down and participated. For me, it was incredible, because they honored my mom. Her name was on the back of shirts. There were people wearing arm bands in her memory.”
(Click here and here for more information on Jay’s mother, Annette.)
Kenna: “Jay’s mother had a huge influence on him, without a doubt. She was incredible. She taught him so, so much. He lives on her words.”
Jay: “She was my best friend, too.”
Valley Indy: You two were married in September at a huge wedding in Ansonia’s Warsaw Park. Kenna was already bartending here when Jay purchased the place. What was your first impression of Jay?
Kenna: “I thought he was hot with an amazing jawline.”
Valley Indy: You had all the bar experience while Jay had none. Was there tension at the start?
Kenna: “We bumped heads at first. It was a transition for me. I think I always saw Jay for who he was — an honest person. I gave him a chance as a boss. And he was obviously the best thing that ever happened to this place. Over time we became great friends. Eventually that blossomed.”
Valley Indy: Your wedding reception was THE social event of 2011. More than 500 people were at Warsaw Park in September to wish you well.
Kenna: “We had been on the fence about getting married because of the illnesses in our families. Marriage to us wasn’t a big deal, because we knew we’d be together no matter what.”
Jay: “It was supposed to be a simple, backyard wedding. We weren’t even supposed to have a wedding party.”
Kenna: “Then it grew, with friends and family. We ended up having about 30 people in our wedding party, including our dog, Dublin. We just kept inviting people. Then we just put out the word — we’re getting married on this day, show up if you’re around. And people did.”
Click here to visit the Dew Drop Inn’s Facebook page.
EAT AND DRINK FOR LIFE
Fundraiser for the Naugatuck Valley-Shelton Relay for Life
Saturday, May 19
11 a.m. to closing
The Dew Drop Inn
25 North Ave (intersection with Roosevelt Drive)
Description (From the event’s Facebook page): “For every beer,drink, shot and plate of food purchased the Dew will be donating $1.00 to the Relay for Life. This is an all day and all night fundraiser. The Dew will have a DJ at 9 p.m. till close so come on down anytime eat drink party and help us fight this horrible disease that has touched us all. If you can not make but still would like to donate or volunteer your time please call Jay at 203 – 735-7757.”
