Sen. Dave Argall (R-29) honored Alfonso “Alfie” Picone and his staff at La Dolce Casa-DiMaggio’s for everything they have done to breathe new life into the Tamaqua community during a visit to the restaurant on Saturday, March 16.

“I remember what this building looked like 30 years ago, when it was almost ready to collapse,” said Argall. “Then Alfie moved in and started his restaurant, and then he bought the vacant building next door, and then another vacant building down the street as well.

“Now, it’s one of the busiest spots in town. Without people like Alfie, and his 80-plus employees, the resurgence of Tamaqua in recent years would not have been possible.”

During the visit, Picone said, “Everyone comes down to a little town like Tamaqua and recognizes this town, recognizes the community; how great it is, how beautiful it is.”

In addition to being widely known for their food, Picone and his staff give back to the community annually by holding multiple events. La Dolce Casa-DiMaggio’s hosts an annual Thanksgiving turkey dinner giveaway, distributing over 2,500 meals last year to residents of the area, and the restaurant is also well-known for its annual Christmas decoration and lights display, which features 50,000 lights that hang all throughout the restaurant.