Jason Dilts is living his dream. The 2011 graduate of Robbinsville High School grew up in his grandmother’s kitchen where Sunday dinners were three hours long. He finds himself drawing on those Sunday dinners now that he has a kitchen of his own.
“It taught me how to appreciate food and family,” Dilts said.
Dilts, 23, took what he learned in Nonna Mary DeMarco’s kitchen and brought it with him to DiMattia’s Restaurant on Main Street in Allentown. Under Nick DiMattia’s tutelage, Dilts fell in love with working in a kitchen. While studying business at Virginia Radford University, he continued to work in a kitchen.
Dilts graduated from college in 2015 and returned home. While working at FunniBonz BBQ Steakhouse in Robbinsville his parents, Ken and Mary Dilts—owners of Ostrich Farms on Pond Road in Robbinsville—raved about LoLa Restaurant, also in Robbinsville.
His family loves to eat good Italian food. He grew up eating at Chambersburg institutions such as Rossi’s and DeLorenzos—both of which have since moved to the suburbs, or as Dilts puts it, closer to him. He trusts his parents’ opinions on good Italian food.
A week later, he brought his friends back to LoLa because he loved the food.
“I really wanted to be in the kitchen,” Dilts said.
He spoke with the owner, Chambersburg native Mark Longo, and offered to help him in any way. Dilts worked for him for about a year, before becoming a 50/50 partner with Longo in April.
“You gotta take a chance,” Dilts said. “It was just perfect for me—an opportunity in Robbinsville, where I grew up. I had to take the opportunity when it was there.”
The partnership between Longo and Dilts brought major improvements to LoLa. They bought a pizza place across Route 130 in Robbinsville from LoLa and moved LoLa to the same location. Brando’s Pizzeria by LoLa and LoLa Restaurant now share a building on Route 130 South, as well as chefs. But the eateries are different dining experiences. LoLa continues to serve food in a more upscale and relaxed fashion, while Brando’s is a casual pizzeria setting.
“Mark helped me to follow my passion and become better at everything,” Dilts said. “I’ve been working in kitchens my whole life. I’ve learned so many things about food and life by having this experience. Mark opened LoLa Restaurant about two to three years ago. He has been all over the area.”
Dilts doesn’t have a particular food he prefers to make, as long as it is Italian. He said his main goal is to serve people the food he grew up eating with his family.
And family is a passion for Dilts. He’s even started taking over for his grandmother as the person who feeds everyone in the family. And the family, including siblings Kenny and twin sister Jacqueline, dine at LoLa a couple of times a week.
“It is all good,” said Ken Dilts of his son’s cooking. “Everything is delicious.”
Dilts said his food is locally grown, homemade and cooked to order.
Dilts spends his free time with his family and friends, mostly eating. He still enjoys his three hour meals with people close to him.
“I love food,” he said. “There is no way around it. I like to enjoy Mondays [his day off] at a BYOB and have someone wait on me and cook me dinner.”
Robbinsville resident Jason Dilts (right) partnered with LoLa owner Mark Longo (left) in April 2016. Dilts is a 2011 graduate of Robbinsville High School, and has worked at eateries like DiMattia’s in Allentown and FunniBonz BBQ in the Foxmoor Shopping Center. (Photo by Suzette J. Lucas.),
