Several years ago when I set out to make the perfect red sauce—or Sunday gravy, which it’s often called—I knew exactly where to look.  That was to my good friend Steve Quattrucci.  His family has long held sway in Portland food circles amongst the Italian-American community.  Or as Quattrucci relates, “Memories from my childhood are filled with smells and scenes from busy kitchens and tables full of the most delicious food you can imagine.”

maries sunday gravy 2

In the late 1930s, for instance, his grandparents, Tessie (aka Nana Q) and Guy Quattrucci, operated the popular Balboa Café on India Street.  The block where the restaurant stood was torn down in the 1950s to make way for Jordan’s Meats—later razed for today’s Hampton Inn.

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