Joseph Felix Graziano was born in Utica, New York February 25, 1935. As a teenager, he worked at his Uncle Tony Graziano’s restaurant and in his gym where he sparred and helped out wherever he could. His uncle taught him to cook at one place and to fight and train boxers at the other. Two world champion fighters were trained in that gym: Carmen Basilio and Billy Backus. After high school he entered the Army where he worked for the Army Intelligence Agency in Europe and Africa. In Germany he joined a military boxing club and found himself game but generally outmatched in what would prove to be an end to his career as a fighter. His love for the sport would always remain.

When he returned to Utica he married his sweetheart Mary Jane Testa and started a family. He worked a few jobs but longed to explore his second passion, cooking. When an opportunity arose for him to open a McDonalds Restaurant in Lewiston, Maine, he moved his family there in 1966. He worked for McDonalds for three years, opening two restaurants for the corporation until he found a small bar and kitchen for sale in Lisbon. Graziano’s Casa Mia Restaurant was born. The first few years it was open, “Joe’s place” as it had come to be known, was a rough joint. It was filled mostly with rowdy mill workers looking for a fight. On more than a few occasions Joe had to turn to his boxing ability to maintain some semblance of order in his “home”, but respect soon grew for him among the town folk as he slowly transformed this rough and tumble saloon into an quaint family restaurant. That was a completed task he was extremely proud of.

Ask most first-timers visiting Joe’s what they initially noticed about the eatery(besides the succulent aroma wafting from the kitchen to the street) it’s the décor. Joe decided that if he were not to be a fighter he would show his love for the sport by filling the walls with antique photographs of boxers and other pugilistic memorabilia.

By the mid seventies Joe’s restaurant had truly become “Joe’s Home”. An extension of the man himself, in this building he would be your host, he would cook for you, and he would talk boxing with you, but most of all, he would be your friend. As his reputation grew, so did his clientèle base. Patrons visiting on a Saturday night would sometimes have to wait for more than an hour outside the restaurant just to get a seat, and there was rarely a complaint. In 1978 Joe bought the building next door to him to expand the seating for his customers, and by 1983 he had purchased several more adjoining buildings and properties just to keep up with the growth. Through it all he continued to collect boxing memorabilia and turn his business into a sort of museum. Customers and well- wishers would donate pictures of their fathers and grandfathers in boxing trunks and gloves. Local fighters, old and young, would bring in photographs while politicians wanted their space on the wall as well. Joe attempted to please everyone because he didn’t want to let anyone down.

While his business was demanding, Joe still found time to visit the Lewiston gym, sponsor a team and umpire for little league baseball, play tennis, golf, hunt, fish, and generally support athletics in his surrounding communities. He was also a member of many clubs and organizations including the Elks, Slovak Catholic Association, Fish and Game Club, and Knights of Columbus. He was a well-respected and noted man in his community because people related to him and he never put himself or his needs above anyone else’s.

During the 1990’s Joe spent time on the states Boxing Commission eventually becoming the Athletic Commissioner for the State of Maine. He was proud of his work for the state and enjoyed being involved with boxing again after so long. The contacts that he made and people he met as a restaurateur had served him well during his tenure as Commish. He resigned his post in 1998 to devote more time to his restaurant and grandchildren.

Joe succumbed to colon cancer in July of 2000 leaving a strong legacy, a proud family and thousands of friends. He was elected into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. His children had since grown and assumed day-to-day operations of Casa Mia Inc. vowing to keep the spirit of Joe Graziano alive through his restaurant which will stand as a testament to the man’s skill, tenacity, kind-heartedness, and of course, his love for the sport of Boxing,