Profits & Passions Isi Albanese Hook, line and family By BOB ROZYCKI

Profits & Passions
Isi Albanese
Hook, line and family
By BOB ROZYCKI

Isi and his son John hold up a 92-pound sailfish caught on a trip to Cozumel, Mexico.

Big fish, little fish; weakfish, bluefish; tuna fish, sailfish; at the risk of continuing on like a Dr. Seuss-influenced fishmonger -- these fish and others have all been caught by Isi Albanese and his protege and oldest son, John.

Perched in a chair of his restaurant, Bellizzi, which has been on Main Street in Mount Kisco for 16 years, Albanese recalls how he didn’t start fishing until he came to this country from his native Italy in 1968.

Lured to America by friends and relatives as the land of “the beautiful dream,” Albanese grew up in Solano, a small town on the southern tip of Italy in Reggio Calabria. He, his mother, father and brother arrived after an 11-day trip on the ship Michelangelo in May 1968 and joined relatives living in Mount Kisco.

Fishing for the first time ever, Albanese and his cousin Carmen each used a stick with a short line and a hook. The simple gear was effective in the brook. The boys were hauling in more small-mouth bass than other fishermen with real poles, lures and reels. As they progressed, the boys upgraded their handmade gear and bought themselves push-button reels.

Fishing became part of a larger sports repertoire for Albanese, who added soccer, basketball, track and cross-country running during his years at Fox Lane middle and high schools. In the 10th grade he started working in the restaurant business and at Sullivan County Community College earned a degree from its culinary school. His first job after college was in food service at IBM Corp., followed by stints at McDonald’s and area restaurants.

Hooked on the restaurant industry, but not wanting to be a chef, he bought a deli in Mohegan Lake when he was 22. He parlayed that purchase into a cheese shop and then a pizzeria, Pizza Pizzaz. Seeking to open up a restaurant in his adopted hometown, Albanese found a location at the site of a former florist on Main Street in Mount Kisco. After hauling out worn carpeting and other detritus, and then remodeling to his specifications, Bellizzi was born. Business was good. When a computer store next door closed, Albanese expanded. Business continued to be good. He created a special dining section for children and a party room for small fry. A small arch was created for his pint-sized customers to enter through. And when another adjoining shop closed, he expanded again. Business is good.

Baiting hooks continued to be done in his off-hours; and he began teaching his oldest son, John, the finer points of landing freshwater and saltwater fish. At the ripe old age of 12, John landed an 82-inch long, 92-pound sailfish during a trip with the family to Cozumel, Mexico. Isi says he had nothing to do with catching the fish other than watching with pride as his son worked the line for a half-hour.

Schooling his younger sons, Frankie and Joseph, Albanese says the boys are a joy to go out on a boat with. They all went out on Jamaica Bay on Father’s Day and fished until noon before getting back together with the whole family. The bay off Queens is a favorite fishing spot for the Albanese family, offering up a number of seasonal fish, including bluefish, “which are ferocious; it’s like catching a 40-pound striper.”

Scaling back on the sport is something Albanese has no intent on doing. The family is soon returning to Cabo San Lucas, “the fishing capital of the world,” the father and son agree. As for “the one that got away,” Albanese can think of two a “big striper” he fought for 20 minutes and never got to see and a marlin that broke away off the coast of the Dominican Republic.

Kyle Colesanti and John Albanese holding a 22-pound striped bass from Jamaica Bay at night.

Striking the right balance between work and family is no fluke. “It’s not about the fishing, but it’s about spending quality time with the family. In today’s world we have so many distractions and we are so busy that life passes us by. Families have to find something that they can do together that will build great memories that will last a lifetime.”

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