Walnut Street without Ralph?
Ralph Berarducci of the late Portofino and the current Walnut Street Supper Club is selling the joint.
For more than 40 years, Ralph Berarducci has been the old-school dude out front of Portofino and its current incarnation, Walnut Street Supper Club, at 1227 Walnut St.
But if plans materialize, Ralph will be out of there by the fall.
He is selling the building, the business and its liquor license.
The prospective owner, Kim Hyunh, owns a few Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants in town, including Pho Cali in Chinatown. She will keep Walnut Street Supper Club as it is, including the Italian menu and singing staff, said her business consultant, Betty Mon.
Why sell? Ralph reminds me that he's 78 years old and that 30 years ago, he made all the money he'd ever need.
But take today, when he had to open the place in the morning to admit a repairman. After he steps out, he won't have to do things like that.
He hopes that the new owner will allow him to continue a longstanding tradition of feeding homeless people on Thanksgiving Day.