Matt Pagano ’84

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, Pagano’s was a bustling lunch and happy hour spot for so many, but all of that changed in March of 2020. “It’s been a rough year,” says Pagano. “We closed down last March and didn’t reopen until October of 2020.” Never straying too far from his Prep roots, Pagano turned to our patron saint in his time of need. 

“It was the feast of St. Joseph when we closed, and I was in my office saying the prayer to St. Joseph that hangs on my wall next to my desk, asking him for guidance and strength,” Pagano says. “I asked him to please watch over my decision making and help me to make good choices in the months ahead. I asked him to watch over my family, friends, my staff and my business.”

As it has been for most small businesses and restaurants, this year has been a struggle for Pagano’s. With much of their clientele now working remotely, the restaurant’s daily lunch service dropped from around 1500 people per day to 50 people per day due to the pandemic.

With the drastic drop in revenue, Pagano’s was forced to lay off much of its staff in order to keep the doors open. However, a new opportunity arose out of this situation. “One day I received a phone call from Brandywine Realty Trust asking me if my kitchen could be up and running immediately to cook homemade meals for hundreds of families that were food insecure in West Philly,” Pagano says. 

“That phone call made me realize it was time to focus my energies not on my own personal problems, but on helping others! It reminded me of where I came from – the Prep!”

Pagano’s quickly turned this focus to help places like the Ronald McDonald House, community centers in Parkside and Mantua, and Chosen 300 Ministry in West Philadelphia and Spring Garden. Soon, Pagano’s was preparing meals for thousands of families from all over Philadelphia, including Matt’s old neighborhood of Frankford.

 

Pagano then started calling on major companies and dynamic business leaders in Center City to help with the cost of these meals. Leading companies such as Brandywine Realty, Paul Ross at Mondrian Investments, Reliance Insurance, Global Beta Advisors (thanks to a Prep connection in Joe Press ’05), and Pond Lehocky Law Firm all helped out.

 

“We realized that the only way Pagano’s Market and Bar can continue to make a difference in the lives of so many hungry families in Philly was to form a nonprofit,” says Pagano. “So my CPA, Walter Musial ’96, and I recently formed a nonprofit called ‘Pagano’s Market Helps.’”

 

The Prep connections run deep with Pagano. “The man responsible for the production of all these great meals is our Executive Chef Paul Pagliaro, father of Lucca ’18 and Ben ’23,” he tells us. “We’ve been working together for 15 years!”

Matt counts himself extremely blessed that his business is still standing during these difficult times and that he has the support and love of his wife, Livia, and their 4-year-old daughter Fabiola Rose.

 

It is clear that Pagano still leans heavily on his experience at 17th and Girard in the early 80s to help him in many different ways. From connections with fellow alums to living out our mission of being a man for and with others, Pagano has fond memories of the Prep.

 

“I loved being at the Prep every day and I loved my classmates. I couldn’t picture myself at any other school. My fondest memories came at a very young age, from being on the sideline of Prep soccer in the mid-70s and watching my older brother Andrew ’78 play in back-to-back-to-back Catholic League Championship soccer games,” Pagano recalls.

Matt, himself, went on to be a standout player for Prep soccer, playing Varsity for three years, serving as a captain during his senior season, and being named first team all-Catholic and all-City in 1983. He credits men like Mr. Jim Murray ’59 and Mr. Fernando Mendez for being his biggest mentors in high school.

“They taught me the importance of giving 100% in everything, to work hard and finish what you start,” says Pagano. “I truly believe the values I learned in the classroom and on the soccer field translated into my success as a husband, a father, and an entrepreneur. The Prep helped establish the groundwork for my career in customer service: to give yourself completely to others, help them as much as you can, and put their needs before your own. That’s customer service; that’s being a man for others!”