DINING OUT
49
Gaetano was born and raised on the
isle of Ischia, in the Bay of Naples,
Italy. At 18, he learned to cook from
his father in Brooklyn, a chef specializing
in Italian cuisine. The son honed
his skills in a series of well-known
restaurants in New York and New
Jersey before moving to Florida and
opening the Hobe Sound Pizzeria in
1983.
Nine years later he discovered Vero
Beach, where he opened Italian
Delight on 6th Avenue — the place
where he was introduced to Stella by
his best friend and her Greek father.
In January, 2000, the couple took over
an empty building on 14th Avenue.
With the help of family and friends,
they renovated it, replacing layers of
old linoleum with marbled tile, painting
the walls a cool white and hanging
homey lace curtains in the bay
window. Six months after the renovations
began, the couple proudly
opened Villa Nova Italian Restaurant,
a place where their customers are
welcomed like family and feel right at
home.
Gaetano and
Stella take
great pride
in preparing
all their
meals fresh.
“We prepare
some of our
sauces
ahead of
time and we
cook some
of our pasta
so that it is
al dente and
can be heated
up as it is
ordered, but
everything
else is prepared
to
order,” Stella
said. Left,
Guy looks
over an
order sheet.