Getting dinner on the table ... Joe Barbiere busily works to prepare dinner for the house.
Kitchen Head Retires After Nine Years at FFS
By Brooke C.
After nine years of working hard to make sure the students and staff at The Family Foundation School are fed, Joe Barbiere has stepped down as the manager of the kitchen. Barbiere is retiring to rest, relax, and spend quality time with his family.
The quintessential Italian chef, Barbiere was born in Newark, N.J. “It was me and my brother, Saverio. We had a good childhood. We were very close to my cousins who lived down the shore in Red Bank, N.J. and we spent most of our summers there.”
As a child Barbiere attended Abbington Avenue School, and he graduated from Bloomfield High School in 1961.
Right after his high school graduation, Barbiere joined the army and was in the service for three years, spending 18 months in Korea and the remainder in the United States. After the army, he became an operating engineer, and was a heavy equipment operator in Union 825.
It was after his stint as an engineer that Barbiere started on the path that would eventually bring him to the FFS kitchen. He decided to go into business for himself, and opened a deli called “Joe’s” in Northeast Philadelphia. Eventually he opened another deli called “JD’s,” and established an offsite catering business. He continued in this line of work for 22 years. When Barbiere moved to Pennsylvania, he built a home for himself and worked various management jobs in the food business.
By sheer coincidence, he found the place he would spend the next nine years of his life. Barbiere was the produce manager for Neer’s Produce, and The Family School was one of his clients. At the time, Roxi Losicco was running the kitchen, but FFS was looking for a new manager.
Barbiere saw an opportunity. He said, “Knowing my background in food, they were looking for a kitchen manager…and the rest is history.”
Shortly after, he married his wife Teri. He has two daughters, Adrienne, who lives in Texas with his two grandchildren, and Tina, who just recently had a baby, Ryann.
His experience at FFS has been a good one, and it has changed his life in many ways, which he is extremely grateful for. “The school has principles it was built on, and it has contributed more to me than I could have ever done for it.”
After nine years managing the kitchen, Barbiere who is going to be 67, figures it’s time for him to step down. After this hectic job, it looks like some well-needed rest is in his future. “I plan to do a whole lot of nothing; fish, hunt and travel,” Barbiere said.
He plans to leave FFS on March 25. It won’t be easy for him. The Family School is a major part of his life, and he is leaving with fond memories. “When we have graduation and just seeing the kids who came here troubled and have turned themselves around; I remember that most. I hope I’ve contributed to their recovery in some way, by something I’ve said or done working in the kitchen,” he said.
As Barbiere moves on to his next stage in life, he is extremely thankful for everything that FFS has given him. “I want to thank everyone and just say it’s been a heck of a ride, and I thank all of you who’ve touched my life.”
