A Recipe for Success

Growing up with a hard-working Italian restauranteur as his father, Chef Domenic Lombardo was a part of the culinary world from the moment he was born. It's hard to deny that the business is in his blood.  

The Northampton Community College (NCC) Director of the Culinary Arts Program says his playpen was in Stefano’s Pizzeria in West Bethlehem, a restaurant his father and mother ran together. He can recall bussing tables starting at the age of nine, washing dishes by ten, and by eleven, he was cooking in the kitchen. 

Stefano, Lombardo’s father, was an immigrant from Carini, Sicily who moved to the States to pursue the “American Dream” at 17 years old. He worked hard in pizza shops saving up enough money for two years before he opened one of his own in Sicklerville, NJ with the only family he had living in America at the time, his aunt and uncle.  

 
^{A young Dom with his mother and father in Stefano's}

He went on to open Stefano’s Pizzeria and Stefano’s Restaurant where Lombardo and his brother spent most of their youth. Lombardo says that, “As a kid, you think you hate it because you think your life is centered around the restaurant and work. It was school, football, and the restaurant. And, it was a lot of work and responsibility. I was held to an incredibly high standard, and there was no nepotism. He wanted his son to have the same high standards as him.”  

A very shy child, Stefano’s father made Lombardo work out at the front of the house to break him out of his shell. Lombardo would host, serve, cook, and bartend all throughout high school and when he came home from college on breaks. 

Finding His Own Path 

When it came time to choose where and what he wanted to study, the first choice wasn’t to stay in the family business and do more in the culinary world. Lombardo was interested in architecture.  

"I had admired the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and Harley Earl, iconic American designers. I loved art as well. I started taking art classes after school at Pasda Studios School of Art [in Bethlehem]. It helped me build an architectural portfolio because I could work on drawing designs and development of buildings and space.” 

After taking mechanical drafting and architectural drafting in high school, he was hooked. Getting an architectural degree would, he says, allow him to design anything. 

Lombardo headed for Bristol, RI to study at Roger Williams University. After some time at the college, however, he realized the path wasn’t right for him. He wanted an environment where students were inspired, but his experience felt much different. “We had to push ourselves past our limits, and I just felt disenchanted by this because I thought students should be encouraged and nurtured. It was a tough major to get into because the professors didn't have this mentality.”  

That’s when Lombardo, “started getting tempted by the dark side,” as he says. He thought about going home to start exploring options in the culinary world after all. 

“My family really wanted me to get into cooking. I didn't like the path I was headed down, so, I switched to culinary. I had the support of my family, knew the work, and I could still work with the artistic side of things in the culinary field.” 

Building a Culinary Career 

Lombardo enrolled in the culinary program at Johnson and Wales University. He says the program was an ego check for him.  

“I spent my whole life in the restaurant, but I realized there was so much I didn’t know. I didn't know the intricacies, the history, or the vocabulary of the culinary world. That’s what I focus on now with my students.” He says that the most important thing is to teach the “why” behind the process and the art, not just the “how.” 

While at Johnson and Wales, he learned of the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners. Eager for the opportunity to study his craft internationally, he enrolled immediately after graduation.  

Schooling was a rigorous, two-month, six day a week program, focused on Italian language and cuisine. Lombardo’s working knowledge of Italian helped overseas, but he still had much to learn. The classroom experience was followed by a six-month apprenticeship working in an Italian restaurant.  

“I landed an incredible family run restaurant, Ristorante Capriccio, and I became a part of the culture of that restaurant. I got to cook for food critics, including a Michelin star critic, I learned about micro cultures of food that exist in Italy, and I got to stay in an apartment they had for me to live in during that time.” As romantic as it sounds, Lombardo makes it clear that it was tough work. In Italy, culinary is a lifestyle, not a job, but to Lombardo, it was worth every long stressful day.  

Heading back to the States, he was confident he was ready to go into the business with more knowledge and poise. Lombardo began by running operations for his father at Stefano’s Restaurant. He even took over a bakery after his father’s business partner left. He renamed it Perc. Gourmet Shoppe, but the one-man show didn’t last long.  

Over the next decade, Lombardo’s career embodied opening and selling a pizzeria; opening a successful restaurant named Sweet Basil Martini Bar and Grill, which won Best Restaurant in the Lehigh Valley for two years; and a move to Arizona where he managed two restaurants.  

Coming Home to Bethlehem 

In 2010, he received a call from his father that would land him back in Bethlehem. 

^{Chef Dom (right) with his father (left)}

“Being into architecture growing up, I always thought a bank would make a good restaurant. They're built very well and very visible. So they’re hardy,” says Lombardo. Recalling the conversations he had with his son about this, Stefano asked if Lombardo wanted to open a new restaurant in an old bank in Bethlehem. Excited about the new venture, Lombardo came up with the name on his drive back home, The Mint Gastropub. “Mint is what people say when something’s in good condition, and it’s an herb. It plays to both the culinary world and the bank that it’s in,” Lombardo thought. 

Lombardo designed the restaurant from the ground up, which afforded him the opportunity to lean into his other passion. On June 12, 2011, he opened the doors to The Mint. It was hard work trying to pave his own way, but people spoke highly of the establishment, and its reputation was that of quality food, service, and atmosphere.  

In the nearly 10 years since opening The Mint, Lombardo had married and welcomed two children, and the stress of balancing work and family life was beginning to take its toll. The pandemic, followed by the loss of his brother, shifted his priorities. Grappling with grief, he wanted more time with his family and more time to focus on his health. On June 13, 2022, Lombardo sold The Mint.  

From the Kitchen to the Classroom 

Having previously taught at NCC as an adjunct professor, Lombardo began to work part-time again at the College in 2023. When the Culinary Program needed a new director, he threw his hat in the ring. “The team here backed me up, and I spend every day knowing that these people wanted me in this role. So, I make sure I’m doing everything to the best of my ability for them and for my students,” says Lombardo. 

Lombardo's motto is that any good chef should be a teacher. “I always saw myself teaching and passing on my knowledge to the next generation. So, this is perfect for me.” 

^{Chef Dom (left) observing a student's technique in the NCC kitchen}

In his role, Lombardo teaches, helps manage the student-run Hampton Winds Restaurant, and performs various administrative duties. In the end, he still gets the chance to help run a restaurant because of his career at NCC. 

When asked what his favorite part of the job is, he says, “I love so many things -- the “aha” moment when a student finally gets it, sharing my stories and my experiences with them, learning from them every day. I know every student’s name in this program, and I know at least one thing from every one of them that has nothing to do with culinary, their passions, home life, and more. I'm really lucky I get to work with these students every day.”