Article By: Bill Stanley
Author’s Note: (This was originally to appear in my Sunday column in The Day this week, but they have one of their reporters writing about our friend, Mike Buscetto, who is very deservedly this year's Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut Citizen of the Year)
It was a quiet Monday morning as Mike Buscetto, III, was going through his routine, filling orders and reviewing the books at the beginning of another busy week when a group of people walked into his Filomena's restaurant with something other than a good meal on their agenda.
The group was comprised of more than a dozen friends, colleagues, and various business types, including Tony Sheridan, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut who had come to inform the 53-year-old Buscetto that he had been named 2024 Citizen of the Year.
"It was a pretty special moment," said Buscetto, who will be honored on the evening of May 23, at a $125-per-person testimonial that is open to the public.
With a few exceptions, the prestigious honor, along with the chamber's annual William Crawford Distinguished Service Award, has been conveyed upon various corporate titans - bank, college and hospital executives, tribal leaders, law firm partners, and other big-business professionals who were often able to leverage the influence of their prominent positions to get good things done in the community.
It requires more from small businesspeople because they're the ones who do it all - to not only stay in business in the post-Covid era, but grow the business in their capacity as CEO, chief financial and operations officer, director of marketing, communications, quality control and human resources all rolled into one... plus all other duties as assigned.
Except for his four years at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Buscetto has lived, worked, played, gone to school (St. Bernard), raised a family (married to the former Heather Occhionero with three children) and supported various charitable causes in southeastern Connecticut for all of his 53 years. He served two terms on the New London City Council before an unsuccessful run for mayor, developed a 55+ housing subdivision in the city's south end, and developed the mall on Route 1 in Waterford where his popular restaurant is situated.
"Hey, buddy, what's up?" comes the boisterous greeting when you walk in, sometimes followed by a hug, handshake, an update on his latest charitable undertaking, and a gentle appeal. "You know anyone who can help us out?"
While at Quinnipiac, he was the point guard on the basketball team and still holds the career assist record at the NCAA Division I school where he is in the Athletic Hall of Fame. He was the floor general who called the plays, ran the offense, knew when to speed things up and when to slow them down, and to ensure the ball go to open teammates so they could score. It was about being a team player, but leaving no question about who was in charge.
The role is not unlike the one he plays when raising money for the four local charities he supports directly - Safe Futures, the Cactus Jack Foundation, Waterford Youth & Family Services, and Heavy Hitters.
The common thread is that they are all local and the work they do produces tangible outcomes that Buscetto said he can see and feel every day, whether it's a child stricken with cancer, victims of domestic abuse, Parkinson's patients literally fighting the disease, or local people who are struggling through a stretch of hard luck.
"It's friends, neighbors, people who we all know who have hit a bump in the road," Buscetto said of those who benefit from the charities' work. "These are neighbors and customers and people that others know, and it's important to help them."
Buscetto's close friend, Scott Gladstone of Waterford, who, with business partner Neil Ryan, was the last small businessman to be honored as Citizen of the Year, said charity work is part of his friend's nature.
"Mike is the real deal who wakes up each morning wanting to make his community better and provide for those less fortunate," said Gladstone, whose own charity work includes raising well over $1 million for the Waterford Country School. "He not only gives generously of his time and money, but he also has a big contact list and knows who to call to help someone in need. When Mike is involved, it gets done."
Those who know Buscetto know that his approach to getting things done is often about as subtle as a punch in the nose. When he calls prospective supporters, there's little more than "Hey, buddy" at the outset of the call before moving on to "OK, here's what we need." The small talk comes later.
It is the same approach that kept Filomena's open throughout the pandemic at a time when some restaurants had either closed or were providing only take-out orders with reduced staff.
Buscetto got creative, purchasing clear plexiglass dividers for inside the restaurant to enhances customer safety. Instead of hand-held menus, he used a large whiteboard with the day's hand-written menu and wheeled it around the restaurant from table to table. When the weather warmed, he used some of his parking lot space to create outdoor seating, then doubled down with live entertainment and dancing that provided a welcome respeite forthose who had been in Covid lockdown for months.
"Closing was not an option and I did not lay off one person. I have always been a positive person that focuses on solutions and moving forward, and it was adapt-or-die for my business," he said of the restaurant that bears his paternal grandmother's name. "During the pandemic, I was committed to overcoming the challenges and as a business leader, I needed to inspire hope (for) those that struggled."
Instead of struggling to remain alive, Filomena's thrived during the pandemic.
"This restaurant became our oasis during the pandemic," a Bozrah woman wrote in her Sept. 24, 2022, Yelp review. "The owners and managers did everything they could to provide a safe outdoor space with great food, drinks and an assortment of live entertainment that starts early and ends early. Perfect for us old folks! Drop in for dinner, meet friends for cocktails and indulge in some dancing. It's good for the soul."
Some neighbors complained about the live outdoor music, but their appeal to the town's Zoning Board of Appeals was rejected.
And when Gov. Ned Lamont visited southeastern Connecticut last year and wanted to visit a business that had demonstrated innovation and growth during the pandemic, Chamber President Sheridan took him to Filomena's, where the proud owner impressed the governor with how the business had adapted.
I first met Buscetto about 20 years ago when he had been enlisted by another volunteer to help with our annual fundraising gala benefitting Lawrence + Memorial Hospital. At the planning committee's first meeting, he accepted about a deozen assignments to solicit sponsorships and/or auction items from his contacts. At the next meeting a few weeks later, he reported on his assignments. Everyone he called had said yes becausee not supporting a good cause doesn't fly with him.
For the hundreds who will attend his May 23 testimonial, the Citizen of the Year wad will be a fitting tribute for this community champion. He will enjoy the good-natured roasting that will undoubtedly occur, then return it in spades when it is his turn to speak.
However, anyone who thinks this will mark the end of his charitable work doesn't know him. One day in the near future, their phone will ring, and a familiar voice at the other end will say, "Hey, buddy ... "
