Mary Jo Hayes

Mary Jo Saraphine was born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania in 1944. Her grandparents emigrated from Italy to work in the coal mines and steel mills, hoping for a better life and joining other family members who had come before them.  Her grandfather was a master chef; when he wasn’t working in the steel mill he was making cheese and sausage and catering Italian weddings and funerals. Unfortunately, Mary Jo never got to know her grandmothers – they each had 14 children and died by the age of 45.

When Mary Jo was two, her parents (who had grown tired of the harsh winters of Pennsylvania) moved to southern California, settling in Anaheim before there was a Disneyland. Mary Jo learned Italian cooking from her mother, and fondly remembers huge family gatherings around the dinner table. Mary Jo became an expert in Mexican cuisine, too. She struck up a deal with her Mexican neighbor: Mary Jo would teach Mrs. Gomez Italian cooking if Mrs. Gomez would teach her Mexican. And when Mama Gomez visited during Christmas, the whole neighborhood came to the tamale-making parties.

Mary Jo’s favorite movie was John Wayne’s “The Quiet Man,” which she watched each time it was aired around Thanksgiving. She loved the scenery and photography, and thought it beautiful. One day she and her husband were in Portland visiting an old friend.  She looked around and noticed that the landscape looked a lot like her favorite movie. She and her husband turned to each other and said “we should move here.” They did, one year later, in 1976.

Mary Jo’s daughter, Stephanie, nominated her, saying “my Italian mother has always been ahead of her time and creative with her cooking. My brother and I were well fed and taught about nutrition before anyone knew what it meant.” Hopefully you’ll love Mary Jo’s dishes as much as her daughter does!