shack in Fort Lee into the first Callahan’s
Hot Dogs. It was a Bergen
County institution, having served generations
of locals that, upon its closing
in 2006, left an empty place in our
hearts and stomachs.
Then, there’s Dan DeMiglio. After
spending years working for the NBA
until the 2011 lock out left him permanently
locked out, the grandson of
Artie and Ida took a shot at opening
his own restaurant. The Bouwerie, a
simple, moderately priced American
restaurant, opened up within the
bounds of Old Tappan Golf Course
and DeMiglio’s collision course with
his Callahan’s destiny had begun.
Unfortunately, as DeMiglio will now
tell you, opening up a restaurant on a
golf course doesn’t bode well for business
about half the year when nobody
is golfing, as well as on rainy days
when people aren’t thinking about
eating at a golf course.
Although the Bouwerie proved a
humbling challenge for DeMiglio,
there were lessons learned. One, it’s
important who you work with. While at
the Bouwerie, DeMiglio began working
with Chef Danny Fabian, an incredibly
hard working and ingenious
chef who was always thinking of new
and creative menu items. DeMiglio
and Chef Fabian formed a strong
bond: Fabian was creating the food,
and DeMiglio could give it a catchy
name and sell it to the masses. Sound
familiar? The partnership between the
two is stronger than ever, as Chef
Fabian has been DeMiglio’s right hand
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