Villa Napoletana celebrates 20 years of Italian fine diningDate: 6/7/2018 EAST LONGMEADOW – Giuseppe “Joe” Manzi, the owner of Villa Napoletana is celebrating a milestone: 20 years in business.
In the competitive world of restaurants, 20 years is significant and Manzi sees his eatery’s success coming from two philosophies: giving customers the opportunity to explore new flavors and at the same time listening to customers and giving them what they want.
Manzi said, “It’s being able to bend.”
He explained to Reminder Publications that having a successful restaurant is like being an illusionist: “You practice every day.”
He added, “A dish is not born overnight.” For his staff, something added to the menu is the result of working with fresh ingredients until the dish is ready.
Coming from a family tradition of restaurants, Manzi prides himself on the use of fresh ingredients. It pays off by his “seeing the same people weekly,” he said.
“This is not a stagnant restaurant. We’re always coming up with something new,” he added.
Manzi used his Sunday brunch as an example. It’s more than just a buffet.
“That’s where you put your experience in. Your creativity comes in play,” he explained.
The brunch includes breakfast items one might expect such as eggs benedict, Belgium waffles and omelets made to order, but also offers a variety of entrees that have included Italian mac and cheese, beef tips Marsalis and baked scrod Newburg.
“Low-end food, we don’t do that,” Manzi said.
The Sunday brunches, offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., are family friendly events, he added.
The cooking staff at the restaurant doesn’t cut corners, Manzi explained. He used as an example the beef stock they use they make themselves: it takes 36 hours to complete. The staff works with distributors to get the fresh ingredients they require for their dishes.
Manzi recognized that many restaurants in Hampden County had a problem: people were going to Northampton to dine. His solution was to offer special events and music. His Sunday dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. features live music.
“It was a game changer to keep them here,” he said.
The result has been that Villa Napoletana is on the culinary map for the region.
“We do a pretty good job competing with other areas,” Manzi said.
To celebrate its anniversary, Manzi is offering, from June 10 through June 16, a complementary appetizer of the customer’s choice from the special anniversary menu with the purchase of two entrees. The restaurant will be closed June 13 for a private event.
Although he acknowledged the greatest challenge he has faced is keeping good help – a situation every restaurant faces – he said he is thankful for key staff members such as his brother behind the bar, his chef and hostess.
Located at 664 North Main St., Manzi said with a smile, “it looks like a pizzeria going in, but inside it looks like the Taj Mahal.”
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