The small eatery, located on the corner of Niagara
Street and Fargo Avenue, has been serving fine Italian dining to the West Side
community since 1988.
Owner
Marco Sciortino, who opened the restaurant at age 20, attributes his business’
success to consistency.
“I
had to be consistent. I had to put out quality,” Sciortino said. “If you put
out something subpar, guests are going to know immediately, and they’re not
going to come back.”
Since
he opened the restaurant, Sciortino has found joy in pleasing his customers. He
said that because he enjoys what he does, he doesn’t consider it work.
“I
like making people happy when they eat, when they drink, when they’re here,
when they leave and they say how good it was,” he said.
Paul
Vitaris, manager and cook at the restaurant, has worked under Sciortino for 23
years. He noted that Sciortino’s selflessness and pride in his work is always
on display.
“He
just keeps giving to everyone,” Vitaris said. “He’ll always be a part of the
community and do what he can to make everyone happy. He’s a great boss.”
Born
and raised on the West Side, Sciortino wishes that more people would take after
him and open businesses in the area.
“We’ve
got a great area. Niagara Street is amazing. The history that’s there, the
flow, the traffic pattern,” he said. “There is so much activity going on. We
could be the next Main Street.” By Tom Gallagher and Mike Straw.
