Let's Eat

By STEVE PRISAMENT
Staff Writer
May 21, 2008

Strong work ethic is the main ingredient at Rifici’s

ABSECON – Arriving in the United States in 1978 from the Ukraine, on their own with less than $200, the new owners of Rifici’s Ristorante, Dian and Maria Pogrebivsky, have demonstrated a strong work ethic.
“We came here with $150 – that’s it,” Dian Pogrebivsky said. “No English. Nobody to give us anything. I work 14 or 15 hours every day.”
They have been working long hours for so many years that it has become a habit, he said.
Pogrebivsky said he has been in the food business since 1983.
“We had a luncheonette in downtown Philadelphia. I worked for four years in small stores selling hoagies and steaks. I worked nine years in a liquor store.”
His first New Jersey enterprise was in the state capital.
“We had a small sub shop in Trenton from 1992 to 2003,” Pogrebivsky said. “My wife ran it.”
They became United States citizens in 1984 and owned a Philadelphia restaurant – Kibitz in the City, at Seventh and Chestnut, he said. They sold that to move to the shore and buy Rifici’s in Absecon, which he refers to as “the country.”
“We came from what was then the Soviet Union,” he said. “We’re half Italian and half Romanian. In 1978 we were 36 and 26 years old. In the Ukraine then, you couldn’t work for yourself.
Pogrebivsky’s parents and brother had left the Soviet Union for the promise of America.
“Like fish go deep because there’s more food,” Pogrebivsky said. “Everybody is looking for a better life.”
They have a daughter and two grandchildren and live in their former summer residence in Atlantic City.
The years of working in small businesses has paid off, Pogrebivsky said, and made him a good businessman.
“I’m soft with customers, tough with suppliers. I like people. I like the atmosphere.”
Pogrebivsky said he came into Rifici’s every day for a month before offering to buy the restaurant from its founder, John Rifici of Absecon.
“I just observed,” he said. “I watched how the employees worked. I watched the customers.”
He said he considers it his job to provide good service.
“I didn’t make one change,” he said of his taking over Rifici’s Feb. 20, which he remembered was a Wednesday. “Now there are a couple of things. The menu is still the same. The people are the same.”
They have added live entertainment two nights a week 8 to 11:30 p.m.
On Fridays, DJ Harry Maxfield works the main dining room. Saturdays, it’s singer Tony Chardelli.
“We try to create a family atmosphere that’s nice for everybody,” Pogrebivsky said. “The music is soft. People can dance and have a good time.”
Pogrebivsky said he wants the facility to remain a backer of local projects.
“The Republican Party is coming for a meeting. The Democrats plan to come here. I’m neutral,” he said. “I support local. I support everybody.”
He said he loves “the country” and the ocean and that he doesn’t miss Philadelphia.
“This place is perfect for me,” said the man who insists he enforces one overriding rule.
“I have one policy – respect,” he said. “I treat everybody the same.”
To comment on this story email steve.prisament@catamaranmedia.com. 

Customer Favorites:
Eggplant Rollantine ($7.50) Fresh eggplant with parmesan and ricotta cheese, spinach and fresh herbs.
Clams Casino ($7.50) Fresh clams with garlic, butter, bacon, pepper and onions.
Grilled Chicken Salad ($7.95) Romaine lettuce, roasted sweet peppers, olives and artichoke hearts.
Shrimp Scampi ($17.95) Served in white wine lemon butter sauce with choice of penne, cappellini or linguini.
Linguini Frutti Di Mare ($19.95) Sautéed scallops, shrimp, mussels, calamari and clams in red or white sauce.
Penne alla Vodka ($11.95; $13.95 with chicken breast) Sautéed garlic and oil with a splash of vodka finished with tomato sauce and cream.
Veal Parmigiana ($16.95) Breaded and topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.
Veal Florentine ($17.95) Medallions of veal sautéed with fresh spinach in white wine cream sauce.
Atlantic Salmon ($17.95) Oven-baked and served with a lemon white wine butter sauce and a side of pesto sauce.
Pork Chop ($16.95) 16-ounce center cut pork chop char-broiled with a mild red wine sauce and demi-glace.
Chicken Cacciatore ($14.95) Sautéed with fresh mushrooms, green peppers and onions in a marinara sauce.


If You Go:
Rifici’s Italian Cuisine and Pizzeria
308 White Horse Pike
Absecon
(609) 272-2000
Open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday
Happy hour is 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day
Takeout and delivery are available
Credit cards accepted

Photos  by Steve Prisament