Teresa’s Place takes its name from Teresa Bassignani, who immigrated to the United States as a young bride in 1913.  She and her husband settled in Amador City, where he worked in the local mines for $2.50 a day.  Teresa took her first job cooking – her wages were room and board for the young couple.

In 1920, divorced and disillusioned with her general state of affairs, she returned to her hometown in Italy with her two children.  She did not intend to return.  But, in the latter part of 1920, her home in Italy was destroyed by an earthquake.  She decided that returning to the United States would be the best thing for her young family.

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Upon her return to Amador City, she took a job at the Company Hotel, once again preparing meals for the hungry miners.  This job lasted only a year.  In 1921, with the four hundred dollars she had saved, she moved to the present location and opened Teresa’s Place as a boarding house for the miners.

Teresa would remarry in 1928 to a man who tended bar for her, Giuseppe Giurlani.  Their son Paolo was born that same year.  Paolo was an integral part of the restaurant until his passing in 2000. 

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Long after the mines closed, the familiar “Boarders’ Table still existed at Teresa’s, until 1965.  Putting all the food on the table and letting each man serve himself came to be called “family style”.  It was the only practical way to serve a lot of hungry men and allow them to eat as much as they wanted, A variation of that family style dining is provided to this day.

Grandma Teresa died on April 26, 1976, but the tradition of serving fine homemade food is carried on by her family. We are now celebrating our 100th year and are looking forward to continuing our family’s tradition for another 100 years.