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Saddle Brook Foodie Lets Spirit Move Him

SADDLE BROOK, N.J. -- Anthony “Tony Mangia” Scillia has two main passions: his faith and food, and he combines those interests on his blog, At the Table with Tony, in which he writes and shares pictures about everything from his favorite dive spots to places of worship.

Anthony "Tony Mangia" Scillia shares his passion for his food and faith on his blog, At the Table with Tony.

Anthony "Tony Mangia" Scillia shares his passion for his food and faith on his blog, At the Table with Tony.

Photo Credit: Contributed

As an Italian-American, food has always played important role in his life, from traditional Sunday dinners, to meals at weddings or other gatherings, “there was always food around,” said the 34-year-old Saddle Brook resident and Cradle Catholic.

For a time, Scillia, who is originally from Lodi,  didn’t go to church as much as he says he should have -- until he and his wife, Elmina, learned that they had fertility issues.

“Sometimes, when you’re at your lowest point, that’s when you have to go to God,” he said, and he came across an online event listing that there would be a Mass in New York in honor of St. Gianna Beretta Molla, the patron saint of mothers, physicians and unborn children.

“Really, since then, I’ve been on fire with my faith,” Scillia said. “We don’t have children, but each of us has to pick up our cross and carry on. And that’s kind of what I’ve realized. I’ve attached myself to Christ’s sufferings and tried to drill through.”

The blog, "where faith, food, and friends meet," has been around since 2014, and Scillia is active on social media, including Facebook and Twitter.

“I love to cook, go to restaurants and document it. I like to show people what I’m doing,” he said, adding that he has significantly expanded the types of food he has tried over the years.

A volunteer cook at the Meals with a Mission in Garfield, Scillia borrowed a quote from St. Theresa regarding how people can help others: “Not all of us to do great things, but we can do small things very well.”

“Every little step helps.”

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