It was a gloomy, wet afternoon when I stopped by Tino’s Cucina in the Fleetwood neighborhood of Mount Vernon. But as soon as I stepped into the restaurant, there stood a man at the bar with a warm, bright smile.

Many in the area know of Charlie Firneno, a 66-year-old Bronxite who’s been serving drinks at 546 Gramatan Avenue for more than a decade. He’s so popular, that when the previous restaurant closed and Tino’s was readying to open around Thanksgiving 2016, patrons reached out to owner Ryan Tarantino and told him to hire Charlie.