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“Lou’s Village had a feeling of community. When you went into the bar it felt like a place where everyone knew your name.”
- Barbara Johnson
1st Generation: Lou, Lou, Paul, Alvina
Lou Santoro, Lou Ferro, and Paul Polizzi, former firefighters with the City of San Jose, opened Lou’s Village in 1946. Lou’s Village, a “supper club”, opened in a 5,500 square foot building. Lou’s featured a smorgasbord, barbecued dinner, and dancing. By November 1946, the restaurant was open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cocktails.
Lou Santoro was born in San Jose on April 23, 1898. His father, Innocenzo, moved to San Jose from Tricarico, Italy in 1888. Lou grew up in the Italian neighborhood, “Goosetown” – just south of downtown San José. The family had a winery, grocery, and fruit packing business at the corner of Locust and Virginia. After a 25 year career with the San José Fire Department, he retired to open Lou’s Village with his partners Lou Ferro and Paul Polizzi. When the partnership dissolved in 1951, Lou Santoro and his family continued to manage the restaurant. He was regarded as the personality of Lou’s Village and could often be found behind the bar serving customers. When Lou passed away in 1967, his wife Alvina continued managing Lou’s with her daughter Gloria and son-in-law Frank Muller.
Alvina Tolberg was born April 25, 1900 in Baltimore, Maryland. At the age of 3 her family moved west to San Francisco. Three years later her family survived the 1906 Earthquake and decided to move to San Jose. Like many women in the Santa Clara Valley, she worked in the canneries, eventually being promoted to the position of “floor lady” in the Barron-Gray and Del Monte canneries. Later, Alvina joined her husband in running Lou’s Village. The experience she gained as a floor lady in the canneries helped her manage the kitchen with an iron-fist. Alvina continued to be involved in the restaurant until her death in 1978.
Lou and Alvina met at a party in San Francisco and were married in 1920. They had two children, Louis, Jr. and Gloria. Gloria was born at the family home September 29, 1922. Louis, Jr. owned Santoro Hotel and Restaurant Supply on Park Avenue, which later moved to Race Street. When Gloria and her husband, Frank, joined the business at Lou's Village, Alvina and Lou worked the evenings and Gloria and Frank worked during the day.