Dispatches: DeCarlo and Faustini Bring Johnny's Meatballs to the Masses

Our ongoing Dispatches series takes a look at how people in the community are faring against the challenges of a difficult economy. This is a story about local entrepreneurs making good at chasing their American Dream.

Good old-fashioned Italian traditions, family values and of course meatballs in Sunday gravy are all part of the recipe for success behind Johnny’s Meatballs.

Local guys Johnny “Meatballs” DeCarlo and his partner Ray Faustini have been bringing meatballs and other Italian specialties to the masses all over North Jersey this past year and DeCarlo says this is just the beginning.

The two had met a few years ago when Faustini was working with DeCarlo to bring him into a restaurant establishment he was working with. Due to creative differences Faustini left and DeCarlo didn’t wind up taking the job and therefore found himself out of work.

Time went by and DeCarlo began to dream up his idea for his meatball business. He started selling the meatballs in grocery stores like Corrado’s market and was looking to expand the business. Growing up on good food, especially meatballs and macaroni every Sunday since he was a baby, it made sense to make the meatballs the forefront of his business, DeCarlo says.

He recalled how he and Fausitini shared many of the same ideas so he reached out and the two partnered up.  They searched Bergen County and surrounding area for a possible restaurant location but the realization of what it could cost to rent a place made them think there had to be another way. So they came up with a much different idea to get their business off the ground.

“Instead of waiting for people to come to us, we decided to go to them,” Decarlo said.

And that was when the Johnny Meatballs on a Roll, the world’s first mobile meatball cart, was born. Faustini and DeCarlo built the cart all in their own image and design to take their meatballs to the masses.

Beginning this past May the duo has been seen at various events all over North Jersey,  such as festivals and farmer’s market’s including the one in Hasbrouck Heights, with their meatball cart serving up hot sandwiches on a roll or meatballs to go. Of course the meatballs are made from veal, pork and beef – “the holy trinity” DeCarlo says.

As the summer months went on and the meatball business grew, the cart began carrying fresh homemade sauce and ready to re-heat meals like eggplant rollatini.

“We said let’s build this and let’s get out in the public and see what happens and it’s been very successful,” DeCarlo says.  The cart has been at close to 50 events this past summer and now customers are asking them where they can go to get their meatballs when the cart isn’t around.

“We built it from the ground up,” DeCarlo said. “When you put your destiny in your own hands, you can control a lot of things by not outsourcing.”  They do everything themselves including making their own merchandise in addition to the home cooking.  Faustini’s son does screen printing and he’s even helped them make T-shirts to help promote the business.

Now they are looking for possible restaurant locations in the Hasbrouck Heights or surrounding area, DeCarlo said. He also says a deal has been finalized with a major food manufacturer to distribute Johnny Meatballs products. There are also plans to launch an on-line store so people will be able to purchase items directly from the Internet.

The meatballs empire is growing with Johnny taking the throne as the “meatball king.”

DeCarlo has been appearing regularly on the Greg Calluci radio show taped at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting here in Hasbrouck Heights. Two TV projects are also underway as DeCarlo says they plan to host an infomercial soon and there may even be return to reality TV. 

Last year the DeCarlo family was featured on the VH1 reality TV show  “My Big Friggin’ Wedding.” DeCarlo said the show was looking for New Jersey couples planning the ultimate wedding.  He and Megin were already planning their wedding so he applied and shortly thereafter the “meatball” family became local stars.  The couple has been married for more than a year now and they welcomed their son Christian late last year. They have two sons – Matthew is 7 and baby Christian is 15 months.

Family is an important aspect of the business as well. Not only has DeCarlo been around good Italian cooking all his life but he was also exposed to entrepreneurism while growing up as his father owns a distribution company. In fact, Johnny’s Meatballs carries his father’s DooWop pop rootbeer. Faustini also has a food business background prior to his partnership in Johnny’s Meatballs as he’s run a gourmet dessert business years ago.

“Every day is a new adventure,” said Megin Klunk-DeCarlo. “He always has new ideas and even wakes me up in the middle of the night to tell me about his latest idea.”

“He likes to see people enjoying his food and I think that’s great,” she added.

The Johnny Meatballs crew continues to make local appearances such as competing in the Fifth Annual Ultimate Chef - Bergen County competition Oct. 17 at Chef Central in Paramus. And as the song he wrote says (a tribute to Lou Monte and an ode to meatballs) he'll always be "making meatballs, making meatballs," on a Sunday afternoon.