No stupid pet tricks for this Dave
Local Letterman's 'late show' involves coaching softball

By MICHELE DIGIACINTO
Collegian Staff Writer

His subs may be as well-known as his name.

David Letterman, the manager of Bonfatto's -- a popular sub shop in Hills Plaza South, is often questioned about his name and subs.

As for his well-known name, it is about the only thing, along with his good sense of humor, that he has in common with the famous host of the "Late Show."

"It's certainly not the money," laughed the local Letterman.

The 34-year-old manager's first recollection of being "mistaken" for the other Dave was about 10 years ago when he received a prank, collect call at 2 a.m. from California. They were calling to find out what would be on the next show, he said with a smile.

Letterman said his name becomes the topic of conversation every time he meets someone. And when he gives his name over the telephone, he said, it's usually followed with a long pause. "They think it's a practical joke," he said.

Letterman also hates to write checks because of the cashiers' predictable response. "Hey look, I got a check from David Letterman," he mimicked.

Even Letterman's wife of 14 years, Sherri, gets a reaction from people. Letterman's high school sweetheart said they usually ask, " 'Are you married to David?' and they about fall over when I say 'Yes.' "

Letterman said because he has to wear a name tag when he goes to food shows for Bonfatto's, people like to yell to him, "Hey, David Letterman!"

"Most of the time I look at their name tag and say 'Oh, Joe Smith, man, glad to see ya!' "

Although he rarely watches the "Late Show," people talk to him about what a good job the late night host had done on a particular show.

"Like I'm going to pass it on to him or somehow they're paying him a compliment through me," he said with a hint of playful sarcasm.

But having the same name as a celebrity has its benefits. He said not only is it easy for people to remember his name, he sometimes gets special treatment -- such as the time he flew to Boston. A car-rental agency had a luxury car parked at the airport for him instead of an economy car.

"I have to think of ways of using it more," he said.

A former employee of his, who is in broadcast journalism, found a way to use it to her advantage. He said she added his famous name to her resum.

Letterman did pose as the more well-known Dave once. Last fall, a disc jockey from WQWK-FM (97QWK) asked him to do a live phone interview for the station because its competitor in Pittsburgh had hosted Jay Leno.

"Everything was shot from the hip," he said, adding he played off the notorious Madonna incident.

When Letterman is not pretending to be the famous talk show host, he is working hard at Bonfatto's. He's the third generation from his family to work for the 76-year-old family-owned business.

Letterman's grandparents opened the original Bonfatto's in Bellefonte after they immigrated from Italy. The shop, which began as a grocery store, opened in 1919.

Letterman said he can remember his grandmother placing a Pepsi Cola crate behind the counter when he was young, so he could ring up orders on the cash register. As for their well-known subs, he didn't start making those until he was about 11 years old -- when his family felt they could trust him, he said.

Letterman again joined his aunts and uncles in 1990 to help them open a Bonfatto's in State College.

Mike Bennett has worked with Letterman since the new store opened and said Letterman finds a nice balance between working hard and joking with his employees.

Bennett and Letterman are also the creators of their unique fries such as pizza, taco, blue cheese, chili and garlic. Bennett said for about a week, they tried many crazy combinations. "We probably gained about 10 pounds," he laughed.

Letterman has a good relationship with customers as well.

He said some are so loyal that they have him send subs out all over the country to such places as Hawaii, Florida and Washington state. A woman even had Letterman send sandwiches to her son stationed in Guam.

"We've made a lot of friends with our customers," he said.

Letterman is also the creator of Bonfatto's Gourmet Pasta Sauce. The sauce is a combination of both his grandmother's recipe and his own because he could not completely copy her recipe.

"She made the best spaghetti sauce in the world," he said excitedly. He quickly added that everyone thinks that about their grandmother's sauce. "If you're Italian and your grandmother makes sauce, your grandmother makes it the best," he said.

When Letterman isn't working at Bonfatto's he is at home with his wife and two daughters, Nicole and Michele. He coaches 11-year-old Nicole's softball team. This year, he will run the entire Boalsburg league.

Nicole said she likes having her dad as the coach because he goes to every game. He also gets her to the field early so she can practice and he can tell her at home what she did wrong, she said. She added that she doesn't get angry when he tells her about her mistakes because, "he's my coach and my dad."

Allison D'Ambrosia, also a player on Letterman's team, said Letterman is a great coach. She said that he is fun to be around as she recalled the time when the team was eating at Bonfatto's, and he joined in their ice cream fight. "Someone got him in the back of the head," she laughed.

Sherri said the softball team members and their parents really seem to appreciate her husband's hard work.

"He makes them feel that whatever they do counts and he does that for his employees too."