Josie’s Spaghetti House

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Josie’s Spaghetti House was an Italian restaurant at 906 Regent St., on the northwest corner of Park and Regent streets. Josie Schuepbach opened it in 1964[1]. It was known for homemade sausage and spaghetti and meatballs[2], and pizza was on the menu[1]. It closed after a fire in July 2004[2].

History

Josephine Magnasco Schuepbach was born in Sicily and raised in Madison's Greenbush neighborhood. She began cooking professionally in 1941 and ran the kitchens of several Italian restaurants before opening her own, including DiSalvo's on Regent, Tony's on W. Washington and Fedele's on Park Street. With her sisters Mary Schiro and Santina Koeppel she also owned the Three Sisters[1].

In 1984, when Sunny Schubert reviewed it, the restaurant had been open 20 years and was managed by Josie's daughter, Joanne Jensen; Josie, retired, still stopped in several times a week. Schubert called it "neither fancy nor trendy... a red-checked placemat place"[1].

An early-morning fire in July 2004 did about $100,000 in damage, and the owners never reopened. In 2008 a developer proposed a six-story apartment building with ground-floor shops for the corner[2].

Pizza

  • 1984: the menu had "all the Italian classics ... spaghetti and meatballs, mostaccioli, ravioli, lasagna, pizza, antipasto"[1].

Locations

  • 906 Regent St., at Park Street (1964–2004).

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Schubert, S. (1984, January 15). "Good food and service are a tradition at Josie's." Wisconsin State Journal. p. 86. Newspapers.com image 402656445.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Rickert, C. (2008, November 15). "Development planned for Josie's site." Wisconsin State Journal. p. A3. Newspapers.com image 407779086.