LA GRANDE – La Vegas in the 1970s: alcohol-filled casinos, dark and dirty bars that stay open late, and a strip lined with celebrity showrooms with stars like Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. Most evenings, tourists could be found eating in restaurants with high-priced steaks and countless drinks.
But Elvis Presley? He could be found in one of his favorite Las Vegas restaurants – Pizza Roma, owned by Eddie Cascio, a Las Vegas legend in the 1970s.
“We went to casinos and everyone would know Eddie,” said Colleen Cascio, Eddie’s wife. “He cooked for Elvis and other celebrities, and those were fun days. We never had to pay anything. “
After attending celebrity parties for a decade and spending most of the weekends gambling, Eddie and Colleen Cascio moved to Elgin in search of a quieter life and that is exactly what they found.
Eddie Cascio, who had spent his final years running several restaurants and shops in La Grande, died on June 17th at the age of 80.
“He loved to prepare food”
Cascio was no stranger to the move when he arrived in eastern Oregon. Cascio was born on December 2, 1940 in Lucca Sicula, Sicily, Italy, and was the eldest of four children. The family lived in Italy for the first 13 years of his life, where he spent his free time fishing in the sea and unloading boats for local markets.
The Cascio family moved to Long Island, New York in 1956, where they ran a motel and restaurant. Although he didn’t graduate from high school, Cascio learned English and earned his GED while working at the pizzeria. There he developed a love for eating and serving others that he never stopped.
“He loved preparing food, cooking and caring for people, and that’s where he was happiest,” said Colleen Cascio. “It was always elegant, never sloppily put together. He was very proud of the food he brought out, whether we were in Las Vegas or California or La Grande. “
In New York, Cascio and his siblings worked in the family restaurant and enjoyed vacations in upstate New York and the surrounding area.
“He was a lot older than me, so he was almost like a parent to me. He took me to the park and helped me learn to cook, ”said Claudio Cascio, Cascio’s youngest sibling. “Every summer we went on hunting trips, picked cherries, and spent every July 4th on the Hudson River.”
In 1972 the family moved to Las Vegas, where Eddie and his father owned a motel and restaurant. Within a few months, Cascio became a minor celebrity with its popular guests and frequent appearances in the city’s casinos.
“I would say these would be the best years of my life in terms of a good time,” Cascio said in a 2015 interview. “Because in Las Vegas you know what it is like, said Elvis, once you see it, you will never be the same again.”
Las Vegas celebrity on screen and streets
In Las Vegas, Cascio shot several commercials and went out in his Elvis suit, greeting pedestrians and always saying yes to pictures. He has also had minor roles in several films, but his love has always been his restaurant.
Pizza Roma didn’t just introduce Cascio to celebrities and their fans – he met his wife when she came in looking for a job.
“I was a teenager and one day after school I went there for lunch and asked him if he had any vacancies,” recalls Colleen Cascio. “I’ve started washing dishes and working my way up, and I’ve got to know him very well.”
Colleen Cascio looks back on her husband’s memories with a penchant for his “outstanding” personality, which she believes was the reason he made friends everywhere.
In 1983 the couple moved to a farmhouse in Elgin and owned the Cock & Bull restaurant in La Grande. According to Colleen Cascio, Eddie Cascio was fed up with the fast pace of Las Vegas and wanted an easy place to retreat, but fell in love with La Grande restaurant.
Although Cascio was raised a Catholic, he was never particularly religious until he began studying with Jehovah’s Witnesses around the time the couple moved to Elgin. After several years of church engagement, Cascio was baptized in 1991. From that point on, religion was a big part of his life.
“I was very happy when I saw that he had found his calling through religion,” said Claudio Cascio. “We didn’t always agree, but I think it was really good for him and made him a better person.”
Eddie and Colleen moved to Las Vegas for four years after the death of Cascio’s father, but decided to return to La Grande, where they owned Palermo’s, a restaurant in Island City, between 1997 and 2004.
Enjoy a quiet life in Eastern Oregon
In 2004, the stress of the restaurant became overwhelming and Cascio unofficially withdrew. For several years, he was able to live a quiet life working on vintage cars and attending worship in the Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall. He also drove for Legacy Ford cars across the Pacific Northwest and ran a paint shop in La Grande for several years.
However, Cascio’s break from hospitality was undone by the purchase of the Sugar Shack in La Grande in 2019. Unfortunately, the business became too cumbersome and closed after three months.
On November 23, 2020, Cascio was driving on a motorway when he collided with a wooden truck, causing health damage for the next few months. Along with a physical handicap, his mental health began to suffer, but the accident never affected his positive attitude.
“Things changed for him after his accident. He has come closer to God and has become much deeper in his faith, ”said Colleen Cascio.
Cascio died on June 17th of complications from a gallbladder disease. He is considered the larger than life personality who was ready to help anyone with any problem, no matter how big it was.
“If someone ever needed help, they would find a way to help, no matter what,” said Claudio Cascio. “Lots of people loved him, and his legacy is the guy who did his best for everything, no matter who he was with or what he did.”
A service will take place at a later date. The arrangements are made by the Daniels-Knopp Funeral and Cremation Center in La Grande.
