The Italian Village Restaurant

Chef's Profile

This article was taken from Restaurant Forum of Central Florida Magazine: April 1999

Joe Aiello
Bringing a Little of His Neighborhood to the Table

By Debra L. Rios

Many of our fondest family memories involve great food. All of the holiday preparations, birthday celebrations or even just Sunday supper with all the trimmings, they conjure up delicious thoughts in our heads.
For Joe Aiello, these fantastic meals were daily occurrence while growing up in New York. In Yonkers apartment house, owned by his aunt, Joe was simply surrounded by great Italian cooks.   The training he received as a young man took place in his grandmother's kitchen, not some fancy classroom. Let me tell you," claims Aiello, "she was tougher than any culinary school I could have attended!"
   By five o'clock in the morning, she was in the kitchen preparing a feast beyond compare. "By the time I would come home from school in the afternoon, the table would be full!" Roasted peppers, homemade pizza and pasta e faggioli were just a few of the delicacies that awaited he and his cousins daily. Chef's profile 2.jpg (29471 bytes)
   These are also the kinds of traditional favorites you will find at the Italian Village, the Aiello family's continuing legacy of preparing great meals.
   "Our menu is full of dishes you would be served in any Italian home." This is just the kind of feeling that has been captured at the Italian Village. Wife Marilyn, sons Joseph and Mark, and daughter Tina all play a huge role in the day-to-day operations of the restaurant. It truly is a family venture and they take much pride in making diners feel like they are a part of it.

   We are here to please," confirms Aiello. Wedding Soup, Mussels Marinara, and Veal Florentine are just a few of the specialty dinners not appearing on the regular menu. By preparing customers' favorites, even those not available every day, they help to make the guest's experience more enjoyable and memorable.
How many restaurants of today take special orders? Not very many! This is a characteristic that keeps many loyal regulars frequenting the Italian Village.
   Rolls the literally ooze buttery garlic are prepared daily from twice-raised dough. They are a trademark of this place. One must be patient when dining here because very little is prepared ahead of time, making it uncommonly fresh!
If you want something a little different than baked ziti, yet still with that satisfying rich taste, try Sicilian Rigatoni, with ricotta and mozzarella cheese smothered in zesty marinara sauce. This is a favorite that he came up with one day and it became such a popular item, it had to be added to the menu.
Another dish you're not likely to find in most Italian Restaurants is known as Peasant's Dish. This is a robust mixture of sausage, peppers and potatoes roasted to perfection in the oven. As a Wednesday night tradition, Daytona locals seem to love this taste of true Italian culture.
   "If it's working, why change it?' It is this philosophy that keeps things going around the Aiello restaurant. "All of our ingredients are the we can buy," and he doesn't believe in making changes if there doesn't need to be any.
Aiello and his wife opened their first restaurant down in Davie, FL, back in 1968. He still recalls talking to his grandmother on the phone the night before opening." She said to sit down at a table and look around, this is what your customers sees, make sure it's clean. Take a look at your plate of food, if it looks good to you, it will look good to them. Most importantly, if someone doesn't like your food, don't get mad at them ."
   This advice has been taken to heart and Aiello believes that keeping these things in mind has contributed to his success.
   Although his children do much of the cooking and coordinating, Joe has no plans to retire in the near future. "This place is my life! I enjoy going from table to table, sitting down and visiting with guest. Once you come here, you're no longer a customer, you're a friend."

Come see what makes the Italian Village so special!!!!

We are located at 298 South Nova Road, Suite I
Ormond Beach, FL. 32174
Phone: 386-672-2046
Fax: 386-672-2057
Hours of Operations:
Monday ~ Closed
Tuesday ~ Friday
11:30am ~ 10pm
Saturday ~ Sunday
4pm ~ 10pm

Debra L Rios is a freelance writer in Casselberry, FL.

The Italian Village Restaurant
Last updated on 31-Aug-2009