At age 16 Ubaldo (Baldy) Lawrence Merlino came to the United States from Taranta Peligna, Italy, in 1903.  Baldy Merlino is one of those typical stories of the poor immigrant boy who worked hard and became a success; only it's not so typical any more.  He was 16 and fresh off the boat from Italy when an agent in New York "tagged" him and a cousin to go to Seattle where a relative resided.  They were given 12 loaves of bread, 4 salamis, and 4 bottles of wine for the seven-day trip.  He lived there and worked in a coalmine for three years before coming to the Colorado mines. On December 21, 1913 Ubaldo married Angela Moschetti.  In the Spring of 1932 the Merlinos and their six children moved into Brookside, Colorado (a small town four miles south of Cañon City).

When Ubaldo first moved to Fremont County he earned a living by working in the nearby coalmines.  Baldy Merlino was so strong that he could work a full shift in a four-foot-high coal mine in Southern Colorado, crawling on knee pads all the while and not even have a sore back.  "I could do any job in the mines," he boasted. "I could cut the coal, drive the mule, load the coal, cut the timber, and put 'em up.  Anything." Baldy would be loading 15 tons today if they hadn't retired him in the prime of life - when he was 65.  That was after 44 years in the coalmines during which "I never missed a shift."

The Merlinos moved into Cañon City in the spring of 1932 for a very practical reason.  By living outside the city limits Baldy didn't have to pay the $10-a-month tuition fee for resident children attending Cañon City junior and senior high schools.  Six Merlino children were 15 and under.

With $4000 borrowed from a relative, Baldy purchased eight acres of land along U.S. 50 (now Colorado 115), the highway to Florence.  For another $750, he had a vacant ranch house moved to the property.

About 200 cherry and apple trees were on the land.  Angela and the kids cultivated a vegetable garden.  The family raised chickens, pigs and a cow. 

    

Merlino sought to capitalize on the traffic passing his front door by pumping gasoline for several years.  He also set up a stand to sell Marvin's cherry drink, a Denver-bottled product.  The Depression got to Marvin and the source of that item disappeared. 

In 1935 things got worse.  The Merlinos couldn't get 2 ½ cents a pound for the cherries from their trees.  Angela decided to cook them, and with the syrup make cherry "cider."  She made some 600 gallons that summer and it sold well at 10 cents a glass.

Each fall Baldy had been taking apples to a nearby cider mill to press juice for friends in Colorado Springs.  In 1939 the mill owner turned Baldy down.  "You're taking away our business," he said.  "Let your friends buy cider from us."

Baldy was determined to make his own cider, and then some.  He built a big shed behind his home, obtained some wooden-stave barrels, a crude filter and a pulverizer, got a hydraulic press from Goshen, Indiana, and went into the cider business for himself.

The mill could handle a lot of fruits so the family planted more trees--both apple and cherry.  If nothing else, Baldy accomplished one thing other parents could envy; he taught his children (and grandchildren) to work hard.  Baldy himself set an example by running the new business, farming, and continuing to work his shift in the mines.  His first apple cider sold in Cañon City for 25 cents a gallon

With some concessions to modern technology and state health authorities, Merlino's continued to manufacture cider in the old -fashioned way.  They didn't claim it was the best; they just said that everybody else said it was the best.

A forklift was used to dump apples by the bin into a tank for washing.  The Jonathans, Red and Golden Delicious, Winesaps--all kinds--were pushed onto a conveyor belt, which led up to a hammer mill for shredding and then sent through a very modern rotary press, all automatically.  The pulp was never touched by human hands.

The juice was pumped into two settling tanks (3,000 gallons each) for an overnight "set," after which it flowed through filter cloths and diatomaceous silica to remove impurities, then pasteurized in stainless steel pots at 185 degrees. Again it was filtered through fine paper and bottled hot.  About 1,000 bushels--22 tons of apples--were run through the press to produce 3,000 gallons on an average day.  Three bottle sizes were used-gallon, half gallon, and 4/5^th quart-- and were automatically capped.  All in the family took a role in manufacturing, including 18 grandchildren over the years.  Two Merlino sons--Joe the oldest, and Anthony--worked with their father full time since 1946. 

A few years before Baldy retired, his son, Tony, and brother-in-law Warren Hardesty were sitting in the living room talking about what they wanted to do.  Like his father, Tony felt one job wasn't enough to keep them busy. Tony wanted to start a construction company while Warren wanted to start a restaurant.  So the two tossed a coin and let fate decide what business they would go into.  Warren Hardesty won the toss.  In 1946 they used a portion of the Merlino land just east of the home to construct a restaurant they called the Club Belvedere.  The name "Belvedere" was chosen because Warren had fought on Mount Belvedere during WWII in Italy. He was injured and received a purple heart and was sent back to the States.  When he arrived by boat in the States, his first night lodging was at the Belvedere Hotel.  The word "Belvedere," meaning "beautiful acres or beautiful estates" in Italian, and it had a special meaning for him.

The "boys," Warren and Tony, worked odd jobs during the day and at night they dug the Belvedere, by hand. Later in life, Tony would be asked why they dug basement rooms and had the lounge, Mediterranean Room and Roman Room under the parking lot.  He would reply "My father was a coal miner, you know." Baldy questioned the wisdom of such a business.  Maybe because of that, the sons turned it into Southern Colorado's biggest--and most sophisticated operation.

The original two-story structure had seating for 200 people.  It began with a room called "Old Front", a private downstairs banquet room called the "Blossom Room" and an upstairs room (dance hall).  Warren Hardesty later decided to leave the restaurant business, and brother Joe Merlino left California and joined the family business.

As time went on the Merlinos added onto the restaurant.  The first rooms added were the "Old Back" and the "Mediterranean Room."

They were followed by the "Grotta Sotterranea," also known as the cocktail lounge.  The next room added onto the Belvedere was the "Steak Room."  The purpose of this room was to have a room that only steaks were served in.  It was a nice idea, but not very practical.  The name of the room later became the Roman Room.  The final addition to the Belvedere was the upstairs kitchen.  This addition allowed for the restaurant to cook for private parties of up to 185 people.

The staff grew to 55, but Joe and Tony, alternating nights, did all the cooking. Reservations came in from as a far as Boulder, Denver and Eastern Kansas. There are regular customers who fly in from Kansas City and drive from Oklahoma and Texas. The specialties are steaks and homemade Italian dishes. The Belvedere now seats 185 upstairs and 250 downstairs.

Like Baldy, the sons and grandsons believe in plain talk. Customers are told to be patient. The menu announces, “Your meal is completely prepared for you at the time your order is received. This takes more time than steam table cooking. So relax—a good meal is worth a few extra moments you may wait.”

In 1981, after 35 years together with his brother, Joe Merlino retired. At the time Tony was 60 years old. In the early seventies Tony had open-heart surgery and it became apparent that he would need assistance in running the family business. In 1981, at the age of 36, Mike Merlino made a decision to leave his job as a Customer Service Director in the United States Postal Service in Missoula, Montana. Mike joined his father, Tony, and they worked in a “made from scratch” kitchen, replicating the day-to-day recipes that had been in the Merlino family for generations.

    

In early 1986 Tony and Mike Merlino began to build a laundry room in one of the storage rooms of the cider mill. The purpose of the laundry room was to maintain a better quality of tablecloths and napkins than what was available through commercial service. Unfortunately Tony Merlino didn’t live to see the completion of the laundry room. Tony passed away in September of 1986. Mike’s wife Cathie took an active role in the management of the business along with their children Adam and Michelle.

    

Adam Merlino pursued a culinary degree at the Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon. While attending school, he took extended breaks and has cooked on the cruise ship M.S. Patriot, and traveled back to the “Belvedere” and worked in the back end of the restaurant. On September 5, 2003 Adam graduated with a degree of Associate of Occupational Studies, Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts. He worked over a year as a banquet chef in downtown Denver, CO. In December 2005 Adam joined the U.S. Navy and spent seven months in the Persian Gulf. As of May 2006 Adam was a Logistics Coordinator as a Petty Officer Third Class. He plans on returning to the “Belvedere” as a Chef/Manager.

 

Michelle Merlino graduated from Cañon City High School and attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. Michelle transferred to the Art Institute of Colorado in downtown Denver. On December 6, 2005 Michelle graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Graphic Design degree. As of May, 2005, Michelle is the Creative Director at Planit Planners Inc. in Denver, Colorado.

In July of 1997 Mike closed the cider company. As superhighways passed by the “mom and pop” vegetable /fruit stands the cider business had declined and become unprofitable. Although closing the cider company was an intelligent business decision, the emotional aspect of closing the cider mill after 61 years of operation was the most difficult. Baldy left a legacy for there to be a “will to work and a smile.”

For years the Merlinos had a private baker bake their fresh Italian bread daily in the private baker’s own bakery. Unfortunately, the private baker had a stroke, so in March of 1993 Mike and Cathie built a bakery in the old apple pressing room of the cider mill. Today the bakery is used to bake fresh Italian bread and make other desserts such as the fresh gelato (Italian ice cream). Merlino’s gelato changes flavors monthly and only the freshest fruits (no extracts or concentrates) are used. When building the bakery Mike took the two 60-gallon tilting kettles and the boiler from the old cider production room and installed them in the bakery. As you pull up to the restaurant and wonder what that fresh smell is, it’s the fresh spaghetti sauce cooking as it’s prepared in batches of 60-120 gallons, three times a week. In April of 2001 the bakery was expanded to include a new pasta machine and presently all the pasta (spaghetti, fettuccini, lasagne, etc.) is made in the Bakery and Pasta Shop.

Mike and Cathie subdivided the old orchard (six acres behind the office) in the spring of 1999. Mike was the developer and eight spacious residential lots were created in the “Cherry Orchard Subdivision.” The proceeds from the sale of these lots were used to purchase and develop the large commercial lot directly east of the Belvedere and Office. This lot is used for over-flow parking and activities such as the Belvedere Blues Festival.

The First Annual Belvedere Blues Festival took place in September of 2000 and the proceeds from the event were donated to the Fremont County Adult Literacy Program. As subsequent Blues Festival activities were planned Mike and Cathie joined forces with Jay and Sam Bouton and Bud and Sandi Allen, and formed the “Orchard of Hope” non-profit foundation in early 2001. This foundation donates 100% of the proceeds to Fremont County individuals and needy services.

In November of 2000 the Belvedere, after 54 years, began serving lunch. In the summer, lunch hours are expanded to include Saturdays. So the Belvedere and its staff are here to serve you 363 days a year (closed only on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas). Their motto – “if you like our food and service, tell others; if not, tell us.” Baldy would be proud.