By james art 
San Bernardino is an interesting place. We can try food and hear music and language from many cultures here without having to leave. One of the cultures that have contributed significantly to our area is Italian-American.
As the grandson of Italian immigrants, I clearly remember as a 12 -year -old when Cataldo moved from New Jersey – a state with a large Italian American population – in San Bernardino in 1966.
With my interest in local history, I found the Italian connection of San Bernardino as charming. One of the families that aroused my interest was Trozeras.
Rosario (Pete) was born in Randatso, Sicily, in 1889 until 1906. The working conditions of the masses were in a state of riots. Many southern Italians who dreamed of a better life went to America. One of these people was 17-year-old Pete Tozra. When he arrived alone on Ellis Island in New York, he had $ 9 in his pocket. He was among more than one million immigrants who arrived in the United States this year.
Pete worked for some time in coal mines and then at the railway line of Santa Fai, which took him to Kukamong in 1912. During working with the railway, he met the Mercandante family, meets the young Mary Mercandante and marry as A short time later.
Hearing that there was a free land for farms in the canyon, Pete filed a lawsuit for 160 acres on what later became the nudist Ranch Olive Dell. He later bought the neighboring 159 acres, built a permanent home and grows olives, grapes, oranges and lemons on his farm.
Pete and Mary, along with their three sons – Vince, Tony and Tom – and one daughter, Francis, continued to live in the canyon until 1942, when they moved back to San Bernardino. Vince remained in the canyon until 1947, when the family sells the house and $ 159 acres for $ 14,500.
In the same year, Vince and his brother Tony found a fruit stand at the corner of Highland Avenue and Muscott Street.
Two years later – on February 16, 1949 – Mary Tozra and her sons Tony and Vince open an Italian restaurant to W. Highland Ave 1588. They call it The Mug.
And oh, Mom Mia! The place was legendary in San Bernardino for 66 years.
From that day to The Mug closed their doors for the last time in 2015, generations of families led their children, who grew up to bring their children to eat appetizing pizzas, spaghetti and ravioli.
Together, the brothers ruled The Mug before breaking their partnership in 1959. While Tony preserved The Mug, Vince has been engaged in real estate for some time.
On March 19, 1968, Vince and his wife Maria bought a restaurant at 142 E. Highland Ave., updated his menu and image and named him to Maria. The restaurant is named Maria’s Café Italiano.
The restaurant flourished for 22 years before Vince retired in 1990. After recovering from a cardiac surgery, he leaves the Retirement and joined his son Rosario in the creation of another Italian restaurant called Maria’s Pasta House.
Maria made ravioli for both restaurants named after her, as well as Tony in The Mug. She continued to do this for The Mug.
Vince died on December 22, 2000 at the age of 78.
As for The Mug, in many ways this popular restaurant has preserved the “feeling” of 1949 throughout its history. Both Vince and Tony told me that they were told early that The Mug was the first place where pizza was served in San Bernardino.
Tony made his own sauce that he and Vince learned from his mother. Her recipe was “putting a pinch of that and a pinch of that”.
With homemade ravioli, great sandwiches with steak, pasta, chicken breasts with paste and garlic oil sauce and of course delicious pizza with thin crust with rectangular slices, there was something for everyone.
My friends, Steve Portias and the late columnist from Sun John Wicks, and I visited The Mug. But not only did our food make us return. The emerging personality of his owner Tony Tozra and the gift of chatter gave the restaurant a friendly atmosphere.
Police working at Westside of San Bernardino regularly took lunch breaks at The Mug and led his families later to dinner.
Shortly before he died on February 13, 2012 at the age of 82, Tony was there all the time, congratulating clients and treated everyone as a family.
Even celebrity patrons become friends for life. Actor Jean Hekman, a native of San Bernardino, was one of those who were stopping.
Tony also served in the crew of Mario Andretti. The racing legend attended every time there was an event in the area. He became so regular that a large signed photo appeared on the wall.
After his death, the restaurant goes into the hands of his grandson, Jeremy Lesler, who supports him briefly.
The glass finally closed its doors for the last time in June 2015.
Contact Nick Cataldo at [email protected] and read more of his Local History articles on Facebook.com/Backroadspress.