Jennie Franco, 90, an 'excellent cook'

JOHNNY BARRELS Cafe was a South Philadelphia landmark of good Italian eating for 24 years. And the woman in the kitchen turning out all those delicacies was Jennie Franco.

Jennie was the wife of John Franco, whose childhood nickname (every kid in South Philly gets a nickname) gave the eatery at 18th and Mifflin streets its catchy name.

"She was an old-fashioned Italian woman," said her daughter Rose Gaultieri, who also cooked at the restaurant. "She was not only an excellent cook, but a food critic. If you didn't cook something right, you'd hear about it. And she was always right."

Jennie died Sunday at age 90. She lived in South Philadelphia.

She was born in Philadelphia to John and Carmella Buonadonna, Italian immigrants. She attended St. Rita's Parochial School.

She married John Franco in 1937. He was a welder before he became a bartender, and then opened his own restaurant in 1959.

There was considerable speculation about how her husband got his nickname. The most logical seems to be that he was a big man. In fact, he resembled entertainer Jackie Gleason.

"He was mistaken for Jackie Gleason once in New York," Rose said.

The restaurant got excellent reviews by food critics over the years.

"Basically a neighborhood bar and restaurant, Barrels offers consistently high-quality food for amazingly low prices," wrote Arlene Notoro Morgan in the Inquirer in 1984.

"The restaurant is just about as clean as a restaurant can be," wrote Gerald Etter in the Inquirer in 1985. "The bar area is attractive and does not have that aura of intimidation that so often permeates neighborhood bars. The dining room is small, simply set and very comfortable."

The Francos took food baskets to the needy at Christmas and Thanksgiving while the restaurant was open.

Johnny Barrels closed in 1983, when John died. Rose and her brother Thomas carried on the tradition with restaurants with the Barrel name in Philadelphia and South Jersey.

"She loved people," her daughter said of her mother. "She enjoyed talking to people. Everyone cared about her."

She said her mother was an independent woman who lived alone into her late 80s. She enjoyed visiting the Atlantic City casinos, where her daughter would help her sit down at the slot machines.

"She wouldn't let me put her in a wheelchair," Rose said. "She insisted on walking."

Jennie also liked to keep in touch with her children and grandchildren and, when she had trouble getting around, used the telephone.

"She'd call her children and grandchildren every day," Rose said.

Jennie was an avid Phillies fan who knew the names and records of all the players and never missed watching a game on TV. She also enjoyed watching the Eagles.

Besides her daughter and son, she is survived by three other sons, Joseph, John and Michael; another daughter, Carmella Moyer; a sister, Florence Griffin; 15 grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren.

Services: Funeral Mass 10:30 a.m. today at St. Edmond Church, 21st Street and Snyder Avenue. Friends may call at 9 a.m. Entombment will be in the Fernwood Mausoleum.

Contributions may be made to St. Jude Children's Research, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis TN 38105. *