70 years behind bars — and two of his kids followed

On a clear April night in 1933, a small crowd began eyeing up a beer truck parked outside of a… On a clear April night in 1933, a small crowd began eyeing up a beer truck parked outside of a small grocery store and soda fountain shop in what is now Allegheny Center. The clock tower of the Carnegie Library struck midnight, prohibition ended, and a young bartender’s career began.

Angelo Cammarata, a 19-year-old working in his father’s grocery store, had no idea bartending would become his lifelong career.

“I just put a case [of beer] on the soda fountain bar and started selling it for 10 cents a bottle,” Angelo said.

Seventy years and a world record later, Angelo is still behind the bar. The Guinness Book of World Records named Angelo the longest-working bartender in the world on Jan. 9, 1999.

“It was sleeting and snowing, but we were jammed. All the neighbors knew about it and came down. It was a great honor for me,” Angelo recalled while standing behind the bar and wiping out a glass.

“It’s great, because he didn’t have to do anything stupid, like eat the most bugs, to get in [the Guinness Book of World Records]. He just gets up and goes to work and is being recognized for it,” said Frank Cammarata, Angelo’s son, who works with him in the bar.

Angelo is also recognized for pouring more Iron City and Budweiser beers than anyone else in the world.

From the outside of Cammarata’s Cafe, in West View, one would never guess it is the home and business of the world’s longest-serving bartender. The family moved into an apartment above the bar in 1954 and will soon be celebrating their 50th year in the Pittsburgh borough.

“It took a while to get used to the jukebox and people singing till two in the morning,” recalled Frank Cammarata, who was five years old at the time.

Inside of the bar, a collage of plaques, newspaper clippings and pictures commemorates Angelo and the various people in his life. A sign on the wall next to the pool table reads, “No Gambling and No Swearing.” It serves to reinforce the family atmosphere Cammarata tries to maintain in the bar.

“He is a hardworking man and runs a clean business,” said Frank Calore, a barber who has been friends with Angelo for 45 years. “You don’t go over there to get out of hand – you go there to socialize.”

Cammarata’s Cafe has always been a local bar serving the community. Angelo plays the role of psychologist, businessman and friend while behind the bar, and he said he always knows the names and drinks of everyone who frequents his establishment.

The City of Pittsburgh declared April 7 to be Angelo Cammarata Day to honor his first day on the job.

“It was amazing. I couldn’t believe it happened,” Angelo said.

Angelo still does much of the daily maintenance at the bar. At 89 years old, he said he still is not afraid to do things himself.

“He’s always fixing something, always stays active,” said Calore.

Though he may be a regular bartender, Angelo does not keep regular bartending hours. His day usually starts at 11 a.m., when he opens the bar, and ends around 1 p.m., when his sons arrive and take over. He also comes down to relieve his sons for an hour at dinnertime, so they can eat with their families.

On certain rare occasions, Angelo has been spotted late into the night.

“There he is, doing one of his famous cameo walk-throughs. He is an ambassador for his own bar,” longtime patron Ron Freohlic said.

As Freohlic spoke, Angelo walked around the bar, giving pats on the back and handshakes to everyone in the bar. After that, he sent a round of “Thank yous” to everyone at the bar and vanished back up to his apartment.

With the exception of his service in World War II, Angelo has always worked in the bar.

“He was a cook in the Navy, but after that, it was straight back to here,” John Cammarata said.

Even when the bar changed hands for a few years, Angelo kept up with his trade.

“I still worked weekends and kept at it,” Angelo said.

In addition to bartending, Angelo collects T-shirts.

“I always tell people to send shirts here, and I send them one in return,” he said.

During the years, he has acquired shirts from all over the world, often from people calling him for interviews. He has received shirts from Rosie O’Donnell, Jay Leno and Augustus Busch, among others.

But his favorite shirts tend to be the ones with his name on them.

Angelo said he is very proud of his family name and the family that goes along with it. He devotes every Sunday to his family, choosing to keep the bar closed – except during the Super Bowl.

Two of his four children work with him at the bar every day.

“You gotta respect those kids who stepped in to follow in their father’s footsteps,” Calore said.

But as far as Angelo is concerned, his bar is a good way to mix family and business. There are just as many pictures of his children and grandchildren, decorating the walls of the bar, as there are of him.

Angelo has received accolades from everyone from the president of the United States to the president of Bartender Monthly.

“We’re very lucky to have such an icon right here in West View,” said Mark Pushcar, a new patron at Cammarata’s Cafe.

“To be an employee would be an honor, but to have him as a father is amazing,” Frank Cammarata added.