Momma Baldacci’s
Momma Baldacci’s roots in the restaurant business began in 1933 when “The Baltimore” was established by Jimmy Carparelli and his wife Rita Baldacci. The restaurant was located near the banks of the Penobscot River in downtown Bangor, Maine. Over the years The Baltimore, known worldwide as “il restaurante sotto il ponte” the restaurant under the bridge, catered to politicians, artists, movie stars and sports heroes. Ted Williams was a regular whenever he traveled to Maine for fishing, as was Sandy Koufax when he lived in Maine. The restaurant hosted the New York Giants and Green Bay packers, the Boston Celtics and many Red Sox players as well. The restaurant was famous for the men waiters and italian-amercian specialties the region had never seen before. Lines of customers waited often times for hours to get a table. The tradition came to an end when Urban renewal forced the restaurant to sell the land to the city of Bangor in the late 60s. Bob Baldacci and his brother Vasco built Baldacci’s Restaurant on the site of the old Baltimore. The tradition of the waiters in black vests and bow ties continued with the new restaurant. Many local musicians got their start playing gigs at the restaurant including Dave Mallett and Larry McNally. Unfortunately the restaurant was forced to close after several years due to urban renewal, which decimated many of Bangor’s historical treasures leaving large undeveloped land and parking lots.
Fortunately, thanks to the drive and commitment of Bob and his family, a new restaurant on Broadway in Bangor was built and called Momma Baldacci’s. It became a huge success and once again attracted customers from all over; including Stephen and Tabitha King, The Kennedy family, Governors, Senators, Rock icons like Carol King, J Geils all made the restaurant a must stop. Building on the success of Momma Baldacci’s, the family opened a seasonal restaurant in Skowhegan Maine near the famous Lakewood Theater. Regular customers included John Travolta, Milton Berle, Phyllis Diller, Carol Channing, among so many others. With the passing of Bob and Rosemary, Paul took over management of the restaurant. Paul Baldacci carried on the tradition established by his parents, working alongside his brothers including his older brother John Baldacci who as Governor made it a practice to bus tables, wash dishes and wait tables on many weekends. While the restaurant was going through a renovation Paul passed suddenly. As a result, Momma Baldaccis restaurant was forced to close and sell the restaurant property.
— Thanks to the support of my wife and family the tradition continues with Momma Baldacci’s Food Truck and Catering. I’m proud to carry on the business established by my grandfather. I look forward to creating new memories and continuing the legacy. – – Paul Baldacci
What People Say
“Paul went above and beyond for our wedding at Kingsley pines. He handmade incredible dishes for our large Friday night welcome party that ranged from Arancini, to pasta Bolognese to cannoli’s and more. His fridge even broke two days before our wedding and he worked day and night to still bang out Arancini’s, which is my favorite! He was incredibly easy to work with and helped us craft our own menu. He is dedicated to ensuring his customers have the best experience. We got rave reviews
– Jessica and Andrew (2021 Wedding)
from our guests and love Momma Baldacci’s!”
Paul and his team made our entire wedding AND rehearsal dinner! We had booked Momma Baldacci’s initially for our rehearsal dinner and we were so excited to have their amazing food! Then 2 weeks before our wedding they actually saved our lives!! We had booked this other catering company very early on for our wedding day and they were awful to us! 2 weeks before our wedding we had to tell that company we were no longer going to be working with them and we called Paul in desperation that he had this Saturday open as most Saturdays they are at all the amazing breweries and other private events absolutely crushing it. To our surprise and huge relieve they still had our wedding date open!! We booked them immediately and they were so patient and kind to us with the planning process. I came in guns blazing from the last disaster and Paul answered every question I had with ease and comfort. It was then that I knew we were in good hands! They knew exactly what to do the day of our rehearsal dinner and our wedding that I never once had an ounce of worry even without a day of coordinator for our events. I cannot say enough amazing things about Momma Baldacci’s. They have
– Kendall and Jeff (Wedding ‘22)
hearts of gold and it shows in everything they do. They truly were the highlight of our wedding weekend people still talk about the food!
I highly recommend Momma Baldacci’s food truck for any special event! Everyone at my wedding are still talking about how good the food was! The food is the most scrumptious food you’ll probably ever have in your life. They are so kind, accommodating, and friendly! Everyone loves going up to the food truck to grab something to eat and we’re always greeted with a smiling face! If you’re thinking of booking Momma Baldacci’s for your wedding or special event just do it! You won’t regret it!
– Kyley Poirier@balayagebride