Inez Stempeck

Inez Stempeck, Owner, Casale's Halfway Club

Inez Casale Stempeck was born in 1927 at the Coney Island Dairy, then located near El Rancho and Prater Way. Her parents, who both emigrated to Nevada from Italy, founded Casale’s as a roadside fruit stand in the late 1930s. The business evolved into Casale’s Halfway Club, a popular Italian restaurant named for its location halfway between Reno and Sparks. Casale’s remains a family business, as Stempeck works in the kitchen alongside her son, Tony, and some of her grandchildren. Photo by Patrick Cummings

Full Oral History Transcript

Casale's Halfway Club owner Inez Casale Stempeck describes how her parents, both natives of Italy, met in Sparks, Nevada after he paid for her visa, sight unseen. Recorded by Alicia Barber.

 

Interviewed by the University of Nevada Oral History Program in 2005, Inez Casale Stempeck recounts the origins and development of Casale's Halfway Club.

 

Interviewed in 2005 by the University of Nevada Oral History Program, Inez Casale Stempeck describes the area surrounding Casale's Halfway Club, its enduring appeal, and her daily routine as head cook.