John Anthony's Brides

A dispute among children of the late sand and gravel magnate Sam Albicocco that
resulted in bankruptcy filings by their companies has been settled.

If approved in court, the agreement will result in the sale of John Anthony's on the
Water catering facility in Babylon, and Coco's Water Cafe and the Harbor Club at
TTee's Landing, both in Huntington. They also would share ownership of a holding
company. The sites, all of which are owned by the family's business, Port Dock
Holdings Inc., have continued to operate during bankruptcy proceedings, initiated
in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Central Islip in August, and will continue to operate after
the settlement, lawyers involved in the case said. The settlement is expected to be
approved next week by a federal bankruptcy judge.

'Nobody's closing,' said Andrew Presberg, a lawyer for one of the children, Oreste
Albicocco, who initially sued his sister, Mary Rossini and her husband, A. Rocco
Rossini, over Oreste's claim to a stake in Port Dock Holdings and Port Dock & Stone
Corp.

Sam Albicocco, who died in October 2002 at 76, sold the business part of Port Dock
& Stone Corp. in 2000 but the entity still owns seven parcels of real estate in
Huntington and four in Babylon. Stock in the restaurants and the former stone
company is held by Port Dock Holdings. The Rossinis put both companies into
bankruptcy in August, after State Supreme Court Justice Peter F. Cohalan
appointed a receiver to operate the businesses as part of a lawsuit brought by
Oreste.

In the settlement, Oreste Albicocco, along with his sister and brother James, each
will own one-third of the holding company. Rossini claimed sole ownership in court
papers. Albicocco's other sons, Steven and John Anthony, have no ownership
interests, lawyers said.

Lawyer Stuart I. Gordon, who represents the Port Dock companies in bankruptcy
court, said, 'This was a family dispute and it's over and it will enable us to
implement our business plan and satifsy obligations owed by the companies.'

The John Anthony's sale will be used to pay off mortgages. Oreste Albicocco will
replace his sister as president of the companies under the settlement, which also
ends the state court litigation.

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In response to your posting, the original article was on Newsday.com on January 14th. Some of the content was omitted from the January 15th article that appeared in Newsday. Some key issues that should have appeared in the Jan. 15 article are that 'John Anthony's is to be sold as a GOING BUSINESS, it has a price tag of $8million. A contract for sale has been reached, but the sale is subject to higher and better offers, as well as court approval. The potential buyer was not identified'. We are NOT CLOSING, the business will continue to operate even after the settlement is finalized. I have been with the company for over 20 years and I have built the establishment to what it is today(as you have already seen from the plaques that line our hallway). As a result of my consulting which I will continue doing our quality of food and service has brought us the reputation that we proudly maintain. Other caterers have tried to duplicate a lot of what we do, but have never achieved what we consistently perform.

I am excited about the settlement with the Albicocco family, for I have always stated from the beginning that this was a family dispute. This has never been about our ability to pay creditors. We have always had the ability to pay our creditors. The dispute is over and we can only continue to grow from here. Any contracts that exist will be honored by the purchaser.

It is unfortunate that other caterers felt the need to plant a seed of doubt in the minds of our brides. The fact that other halls had the dates available and ours were booked should speak volumes. If you settled for somewhere less than John Anthony's for your special day we wish you the best of luck.

Although there has been a lot said about John Anthony's on the internet this will be my first and last correspondence. For I feel most of the chat room is made up of opinionated caterers hiding behind a brides name.

Thank you for your time, and please be assured that any questions you have may be directed to my valuable staff. They always have and always will be there for you.

Sincerely,
Angelo

I am a former JA's bride and just want to say that I truly hope that you continue to do business -- I was very saddened to read of the legal troubles and all of the people canceling their weddings. My wedding day/night was so special and it had alot to do with the professionalism exhibited by the staff at JAs.

All of my guests truly loved the food and ambiance there.....It was THE best decision I made about my wedding aside from marrying my DH, of course.

Best of all for us, it did not break the bank although everyone thought it did....

I dealt with MaryEllen and Patty when booking and planning (and Donna and Lorraine at my wedding) ALL were so wonderful. Also, Ann for invitations...everyone there is just so great.

I hope all the best for John Anthony's future and all JAs brides.