As most of you know by now, for us it's as much about the Quest as it is about the Pizza, and this week's guest, author David Amadio, takes us on a deep dive into the quest of his father, Jerry Amadio, a master carpet installer and rug expert, who is just as dedicated to his own craft as any pizzaiolo that I know is to making the perfect pizza. Jerry Amadio is legendary in the carpet community, especially in Philadelphia, where he has been honing and expressing his skills for the past 50 years. David, as his (sometimes) dutiful son, worked alongside his father for a number of years, learning much (but not all) of what his father knew. But, then, he realized his own path was to be a writer and teacher, not a "rug man," so he instead wrote a book about what he learned from his dad, and called it "Rug Man." It is, technically, a work of fiction, a novel with fictional characters, but it is based on real occurrences in his father's life, dealing with high maintenance customers, arrogant foremen, slacker/stoner co-workers, and undocumented immigrants who are just as dedicated as he is to respecting this noble craft. The story unfolds while the "rug man" practices his fading art of proper carpet installation and antique rug restoration, all while racing the clock against a looming back injury that might lay him out at any moment.
I, like David Amadio, grew up in my family's carpet business, and both of my brothers earned their livelihood in it. My brother, Harry, actually still works for the same company as Jerry Amadio. It was Harry who told me about the book and connected me with David. His book is so well-written that one needs to have no knowledge of, or even interest in, carpet and rugs to fully enjoy the read, as it skillfully captures the universal and fathomless sense of quest that any dedicated artisan feels for his or her craft. It's no surprise that the book is so much fun to read, since David's day job is as a Professor of Creative Writing at Lincoln University, just outside of Philadelphia. He brings the same dedication to story-telling as his dad does to his beloved carpet work.
Learn all about the connection between between the art of creative writing and how closely it parallels the world of the "rug man." Please join us for this stimulating conversation, right here on Pizza Quest.
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Nov 24 202441 mins