BY DAN NEWMAN
Staff Writer
PHOTOS BY DAN NEWMAN
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS — John Valentin’s Major League Baseball career may have ended, but now he is looking forward to the start of a different one.
His new line of work is a stark contrast to the days of getting his uniform dirty, running after fly balls and trying to chase 95 mph fastballs from some of the best pitchers in the game.
“I’ve wanted to get into the restaurant business since I was playing, but I had no time to make it happen,” said Valentin, a resident of Holmdel.
After finishing an 11-year career with the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets in 2002, Valentin, along with managing partner and executive chef Joe Imbrenda, have opened Julia’s, located at 91 First Ave. in the downtown Atlantic Highlands area.
“For me, this is more like a hobby. If it does well, then that’s great.” — John Valentin While this is Valentin’s first foray into the food service business, he has surrounded himself with people who have experience in the profession, including his executive chef.
“Joe has worked on and off for me for a long time. He’s done my special events before, and he knows what he is doing,” Valentin said.
Once Valentin was done with his work on the field, he and Imbrenda finally had the chance to find a suitable location for their venture. About six months ago, they found their spot, but there was still plenty of work to be done.
“I have been here probably six or seven days per week for a long time now,” Imbrenda said, leading up to the grand opening last weekend. “It’s taken a lot of work, but we’re almost ready to go.”
Although Valentin has traded in his bat and taken on an entrepreneurial role in life, he still sees similarities between his former and current lives.
“In order to be successful in either venture, you need to put in plenty of effort,” Valentin explained. “Preparation and consistency are also big as well.”
Speaking of being prepared, Imbrenda spoke about how 90 percent of restaurants end up failing, mostly due to one thing.
“Most owners do not stay on top of things, but that’s not the case around here,” Imbrenda said. “We have experienced people working here, and so I do not envision there being any sort of issue or problem with that.”
Valentin, a career .279 hitter, said there are also certain differences between owning a restaurant and his former career.
“It’s much harder to hit a fastball in my opinion,” Valentin said. “It takes a great deal of skill to play in the majors. For me, this is more like a hobby. If it does well, then that’s great.”
Imbrenda, who was raised in Hazlet, feels that his work experience throughout the state will pay dividends now that the doors have opened to Julia’s, named after Valentin’s maternal grandmother, who passed away three months ago.
“I feel that my expertise is something that will help in a big way,” Imbrenda said. “I have all the confidence in the world in my staff, and I really think that we’re ready to get this thing off the ground.”
Being cognizant of how long Valentin and Imbrenda have known each other, it’s a safe bet that they agree on many things. But there is one item that may be a bone of contention.
“I have been a Yankees fan forever,” Imbrenda said. “But even though John played in Boston and for the Mets, I’m still rooting for my team.”
So after having played in Boston for 10 seasons and watching the Red Sox faithful suffer through year after year of misery leading up to last year’s title run, Valentin did not view it as a disappointment to not be on the team that broke the curse.
“I don’t look at it like I missed out on a great opportunity. I see it as that they had a great team last season and I think it’s nice that they won it all,” said Valentin, who mentioned that he still keeps in touch with some of the current team members.