Diva Troiano, Longtime Co-Owner of Margate’s Maynard’s, Dies

Diva Troiano, who, along with her husband, Al, owned and ran popular South Jersey nightspots Maynard's Cafe and Gables in Margate and the Lido in Atlantic City, died on Nov. 18th at age 96.

Diva married  Al Troiano in 1948 and they moved to Margate in 1957. The couple operated two successful businesses on Amherst Avenue in Margate during the days when the street's active nightlife scene was known as the Barbary Coast.

Gables, where Tomatoes is today, was once one of the premier rock and roll bars on the East Coast, with a bowling alley attached. The couple sold Gables in 1969.

Al and Diva Troiano bought Maynard's Cafe in 1966.

Maynards, the last survivor of the old-time Barbary Coast saloons, was where the late Al Troiano ran the party for about 40 years, and where you could get a draft beer, a hot sandwich off the grill, and play a game of pool -- much as it remains today.

The couple were known for their generosity to local charities.

Al, who had the nickname of the 'Mayor of Margate', died in 2003.

Diva's obituary points out that the pavilion at Maynard's is named Diva's, so her name will be forever in lights.

Dee Troiano has been living on Amherst Avenue for decades, where she could often be found sitting on her front porch on a Saturday night, talking to everyone who walked by.

On Facebook, her nephew, Greg Benedetti, remembered his aunt as "an angel on earth".

"I don't think I ever met a more positive or loving person than she. The best way to describe her is to use the word that she had on her license plate and a word she would always say in response to the question about how she was feeling. The response was always 'wonderful'.

Services for Diva Troiano will be held on Friday, Nov. 24.