Growing up in an Italian family in New York, Joey DiApice knew the rule. No matter what was happening, you came home for dinner.
Weekly Sunday meals at his great-grandmother’s house made that rule part of who he was. Now, with a family of his own and far from the Sunday table he grew up around, Joey is the one making sure everyone still comes to the table.
In this episode of Sunday Supper, Joey shares the food, memories, and family rule he is determined to pass on.
Meet Joey DiApice
Joey DiApice grew up on Long Island, New York, and now lives with his wife and daughter in Monroe, North Carolina.
A longtime food lover, Joey developed a deeper passion for barbecue after teaching himself the craft in his own backyard. What started as a personal challenge grew into BBQFriend, where he now shares recipes, grilling techniques, and his love of the craft with an online community of more than 150,000 followers.
For Joey, barbecue carries the same spirit as the Sunday dinners he grew up with: food made to be shared, plenty to go around, and a table that always had room for one more.
Past: Comfortable Chaos
Every Sunday, Joey’s family made their way to his great-grandmother’s house in New Jersey. By the time everyone arrived, there could be ten cars parked outside and a house full of people settling in around the table.
Joey remembers it as “comfortable chaos.” One dish came around more than any other: chicken cutlets, a family favorite that was always on rotation. Through all of it, one rule never needed explaining: no matter what else was going on, you came home for dinner.
Those Sundays became the highlight of the week and shaped Joey’s idea of what a family meal should feel like. Plenty of food, plenty of people, and room at the table for whoever showed up.
Now: Same Rule, New Table
The house is different now. Joey has moved from Long Island to Monroe, North Carolina, and the table he sits at today looks nothing like the crowded one he grew up around.
At home, the rule still stands. Dinner is where everyone comes back together, and Joey is now the one keeping it going, with his family’s chicken cutlets and his own barbecue on the menu.
Future: Teaching It at the Counter
Joey learned to make chicken cutlets from his mother. Now he is the one teaching the dish, and his daughter, Natalie, is the one learning it.
What his mother once showed him, he now hands to her. For Joey, that is “a little proud dad moment.”
The Recipe That Carries It
Thin, breaded, and fried, the chicken cutlets are still part of the meal Joey makes with his own family today.
One of his favorite traditions happens before the cutlets are even finished. Growing up, his mom would mix the leftover egg and breadcrumbs into a small patty and fry it first, testing the oil before the chicken went in.
They called it the chef’s snack.
It was the first bite out of the pan, eaten while the rest of dinner was still being made. Joey still keeps that little tradition alive today.
Joey’s Family Chicken Cutlets
Ingredients
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Eggs
Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
Salt
Oil for frying
Directions
- Slice the chicken breasts into thin cutlets, then pound them until they are very thin and even. Season both sides lightly with salt.
- Beat the eggs in a shallow bowl and place the breadcrumbs in a separate dish.
- Dip each cutlet into the egg, then coat it thoroughly in the seasoned breadcrumbs.
- Heat a shallow layer of oil in a skillet. Mix any leftover egg and breadcrumbs into a small patty and fry it first. That is the chef’s snack, and it tells you whether the oil is ready.
- Fry the cutlets in batches until golden brown and cooked through, turning as needed. Transfer them to a plate or rack as they finish.
What Gets Carried Forward
A rule like this one never had to be announced. It was passed along at the table: the cars out front, the cutlets on the stove, the chef’s snack that still goes into the oil first.
Joey says you can always tell when food is good because “no one’s talking.” Everyone is too busy eating. At Joey’s table, that silence is the sound of a good meal.
The house changed. The table changed. The rule didn’t: you still come home for dinner.
Watch Joey DiApice’s story in Sunday Supper Episode 3 on YouTube.
Sunday Supper Ep. 3: No Matter What, Come Home for Dinner | Joey DiApice