Archive 2007 January 22 - 31 Port Chester Business Wire

Brockton's Rocky: Family hopes olive oil is a hit
Jan 24, 2007 The Patriot Ledger

Louis ‘‘Sonny’’ Marciano wants to bottle up his memories of growing up with his famous brother Rocky - with olive oil, that is.

Marciano, a Brockton native now living in Port Chester, N.Y., plans to launch ‘‘Mama Marciano’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil’’ this year, he said.

Marciano came up with the idea last year while visiting an Italian friend who lives and grows olives in California.

‘‘I say, ‘You know, olive oil, it should be a Marciano label,’’’ said Marciano, 73.

He said the product will pay tribute to his mother, Pasqualena Marchegiano, who fed the Marciano brood at the family homestead at 168 Dover St. in Brockton.

It will also honor his brother, undefeated heavyweight Rocky Marciano, who died in 1969. The product label will show a well-known photograph of his mother feeding Rocky a bowl of pasta, he said.

‘‘Olive oil was such a big part of our life,’’ said Marciano, an ex-professional baseball player who owned a scaffolding company and is now retired. ‘‘We had a salad just about every afternoon and night,’’ he said, recalling the family garden from which his parents would pick lettuce and tomatoes.

Full Story: The Patriot Ledger