By B.C. Manion
From its Italian maps and colorful murals to its pictures of Italy and Italian place mats, it is easy to see that the owners of this cozy restaurant pride themselves on their heritage.
For nearly 25 years, the family-owned restaurant Piccola Italia Italian American Restaurant has been serving up its hearty fare to feed the locals of Zephyrhills and the city’s abundant winter residents.
Restaurant owners Antonietta D’ Eroma and Sergio, Maria and Robert Pullo take pride in the homemade sauces, pasta and soups they serve.
Sergio handles myriad chores at the restaurant. He makes the pasta and pizza dough. He also fixes just about anything that needs a repair, family members said.
The restaurant evolved out of the women’s love of cooking. When other mothers would send cupcakes to school functions, they would send pans of lasagna, said Robert, who is Maria’s son.
The menu tells patrons what to expect: “Good Italian cuisine cannot be rushed,” the menu proclaims. “Please be patient while your order is being prepared.”
The restaurant’s offerings include appetizers such as fried mushrooms, fried eggplant, fried zucchini and shrimp cocktail.
If you like spaghetti, you can get it topped with meat sauce, marinara sauce, meatballs or sausage, butter sauce, garlic and oil, garlic and mushrooms, a la shrimp scampi and with seafood sauce.
Other dishes feature veal, chicken, seafood and pasta, including stuffed shells, fettucine alfredo and lasagna. Other menu choices include pizza, calzones, sides, salads, soups, desserts, beer, wine and soft drinks.
There’s also a children’s menu and senior citizen’s menu.
And, there are daily specials, too.
Eating dinner at Piccola is “the equivalent of having a home-cooked meal, without being at home,” Robert said.
In the beginning, it was a struggle, Antonietta said. Over the years, however, the restaurant has had staying power because the owners realize being successful required more than simply serving good food.
Customers don’t go out for dinner just to eat a good meal, Robert said. They also want the pleasure of being served.
Customers also like to feel a personal connection to the people who are preparing and serving their food, Antonietta said. “We mingle with everyone,” she said.
Al Kirk, a restaurant regular, definitely feels the connection.
He dropped by Piccola one recent afternoon and took his place at the head of the table, right next to the kitchen.
“Every day that I can make it, I’m here,” he said. One of the reasons he comes so frequently is because he enjoys chatting with Antonietta and Maria.
The one reason is that he enjoys the food.
His favorite is the pasta pomodoro. “You have to try it,” he said. “I think it’s delicious. I could live on it — that’s how good it is. When you order it, that’s when they make it. I think that’s the touch, right there.”
Antonietta said there’s a secret to treating customers properly.
“No matter what they do. No matter what they say — smile,” she said.
Maria and Antonietta said they want their patrons to be happy. If a mistake occurs, they want to make amends, they said.
They also enjoy the camaraderie that builds over time with customers.
It’s quite common for diners to poke their head through a window into the kitchen just to say hello, Antonietta said.
Maria offered this tip for getting the most flavor from a plate of spaghetti: “You’ve got to mix it up,” she said. That allows the spaghetti to absorb some of the sauce, allowing diners to taste the flavor in every bite.
Maria and Antonietta said they want their patrons to be happy when they’ve finished their meal, and if a mistake occurs, they want an opportunity to make amends, they said.
Besides serving diners, the restaurant handles catering and sells bottled sauce at the restaurant and online.
As it approaches its silver anniversary, it is planning to branch out — by distributing its bottled sauce to specialty markets. One day it hopes to have shelf space at large supermarket chains, such as Publix and Sweetbay, Robert said.
The restaurant also plans to celebrate its 25th year by doing something special.
They haven’t ironed out the details yet. When they turned 20, they rolled back the price on their spaghetti dinner to what it was when they opened.
They might do something similar in March, or celebrate some other way.
Stay tuned.
For more information
Piccola Italia Italian American Restaurant, 37502 SR 54, Zephyrhills
(813) 782-2856
www.piccolaitaliarestaurant.com
