Feasterville’s Rick and Roberta Pipito share how they balance parenting, marriage and successful careers
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
It was 12:45 a.m., and Roberta Pipito had just wrapped up 15 hours of filming in Philadelphia for Creed 2. Exhausted, she called her husband Rick on the verge of tears, debating whether or not she should bother going to sleep. In just a few hours, she’d need to get ready for her 8:15 a.m. cooking segment on FOX 29.
“We’re nonstop,” Roberta said.
But they wouldn’t have it any other way. The Pipitos, who live in Feasterville, have been called “Philadelphia’s Power Couple” on numerous occasions by their loyal social media followers. And it’s easy to see why.
When she’s not dabbling in the world of movies, the multi-talented Roberta operates the blog Homemade Delish, appears regularly on FOX 29, and contributes to Philly Current Magazine among numerous other publications. Meanwhile, Rick is the renowned author of 28 published works, which include children’s books, fictional novels, short stories and thrillers.
Despite hectic schedules (and oftentimes lack of sleep), Rick and Roberta have mastered the art of balancing their respective careers and maintaining a healthy marriage, all while raising their two children, Lana and Tony, who are 9 and 7 years old.
So how do the Pipitos do it all while keeping their sanity?
“Communication is key,” Roberta said. “And if you support each other, that’s what matters the most.”
Over the past 17 years, the two have built a strong foundation of give and take. Roberta admits her career path involves a more demanding and fluctuating schedule, but Rick is behind her ambitions 100 percent. Since his writing career allows him the flexibility to work from home, he willingly takes on the Mr. Mom role when needed.
According to Roberta, her husband encouraged her to create Homemade Delish six years ago. Though she lived in Northeast Philadelphia for most of her life, Roberta was constantly surrounded by the culture of her birthplace Brazil. Growing up, she learned all she could about Brazilian and Italian cuisine from her father, who worked as a professional chef and baker. Cooking was in her blood, as well as a knack for photography, so Rick suggested she combine her two passions into one viable career.
“If I didn’t listen to him, I probably wouldn’t be in this position now,” Roberta said.
After the launch of Homemade Delish, her local fame skyrocketed as she landed appearances on The Chew, Dr. Oz and FOX 29. Though Roberta is sometimes called on set with only a day’s notice, she remains her husband’s №1 supporter as he continues to crank out novels.
A Philadelphia native, Rick once dreamed of a life on the road with his high school rock band. Unfortunately, the members eventually went their separate ways. But Rick, who served as the band’s lyricist, didn’t want to abandon his deep love for writing and decided to try his hand at books.
“I kind of did the first as a joke, but I surprisingly got really good feedback and it just went from there,” he said.
The book was Flesh and Leftovers, a compilation of 10 short zombie-inspired tales. Today, Rick has 28 published works to his name, including two children’s books for which his kids served as his harshest critics.
“We go to them for approval,” Rick laughed.
Sometimes the brutal honesty of a child is just what a creative mind needs. After his son suggested he completely reinvent one of the characters in A Little Boy in the Land of the Sleepless Nights, Rick did, receiving an unprecedented amount of positive feedback after reading the book at a local school.
Rick and Roberta revel in the fact that both of their careers allow their kids to get involved. When Tony and Lana aren’t critiquing dad’s books, they’re on set with mom to assist her during occasional cooking segments. Though Lana shines in front of the camera while Tony prefers to be on the baseball field, both take after Roberta when it comes to food, and will try virtually anything she puts on their plates — something most parents can only dream of.
As the Pipitos’ respective careers continue to advance, with Roberta growing the reach of Homemade Delish and Rick planning to release two novels and two short stories by the end of the year, this dynamic duo keeps building upon the foundation of support that has worked well for so many years.
While Rick and Roberta are the first to admit they’re not perfect, with bickering and disagreements naturally happening from time to time, they’ve found a few simple yet foolproof solutions to get through anything life throws their way.
“There’s got to be compromise on both parts. It can’t be just one,” Rick said. “If we didn’t talk, I can’t imagine any of this working out. That really has gotten us through a lot of it.”
It also helps that both are pursuing their passions. At the end of the day, they’re doing what they love, while simultaneously setting an example for their kids that anything is possible.
“You’ve got to keep hustling. If you really want it, go for it,” Roberta said.
Keep up with the Pipitos’ upcoming projects and “Think, Sip, Write” YouTube series, which hilariously covers the trials and tribulations of parenting, at scryptcomics.wordpress.com and homemadedelish.com. ••
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
