Sal Impastato, whose Sal and Judy's restaurant has attracted droves of diners to the northshore and built a loyal local clientele over the past 50 years, is recovering after a bad fall from a balcony, his son said.
Impastato, 81, remains in the hospital where he is healing from back surgery and broken ribs.
Joe Impastato, a St. Tammany Parish Council member who is also involved in the family business, said his father was leaning over the railing of his home on Lake Road in Lacombe to pluck a persimmon from a nearby tree. The railing gave way and Sal Impastato fell some 9-10 feet to the ground, Joe Impastato said.
"It was a bad fall," Joe Impastato said. "He's doing much better. Overall, though, it's been a rough road."
Sal Impastato, who hails from Sicily, came to New Orleans in the 1960s to work with his Uncle Joe Impastato at Napoleon House. He had stops in other kitchens in New Orleans and Dallas before opening Sal and Judy's in 1974.
The pink-colored restaurant on U.S. 190 quickly became a favored stop and drew regional acclaim. In the 1990s, the family began bottling the various sauces for which Chef Sal had become famous.
The fall has forced Sal Impastato to cancel his annual summertime trip to Sicily, but he is expected to make a full recovery asn remains on track to help celebrate the famed Lacombe eatery's 50th anniversary later this summer.
Asked if his father was trying to continue running the restaurant from his hospital bed, Joe Impastato laughed.
"You kidding me?" he asked. "He hasn't stopped. You can't keep him down."