“Owning a restaurant is not always easy, but it is much easier when you have the drive and passion to make food for your customers,” says Giuseppe Fiorello, owner of Azzurri Italian Restaurant.
From a small town in Sicily, Fiorello and his family decided to move to the United States after visiting his brother in Philadelphia. Once the family moved to the States in 1984, his grandfather Francesco opened a restaurant in Williamsburg. While six of his grandfather’s children moved to the States, the other eight decided to stay in Sicily.
Fiorello began working in restaurants with his grandfather as early as age 14, which is how he developed his goal to open a restaurant of his own. Eventually, He opened Azzurri Italian Restaurant with his mother in 2008.
Fiorello chose to open Azzurri in Newport News to expand from what his grandfather had started in Williamsburg. “I feel like moving to a different area was necessary to serve the community and grow the family business,” says Fiorello. He explains that his aunt and sister also own a restaurant in Gloucester.
Fiorello explains how all of the restaurant’s food is “made from scratch,” including the pasta, sauces and bread. He says, “I brought all of the traditional ways of making the food back from what I learned in Sicily. I think this is what really makes the difference in our dishes.” He describes their way of cooking as “old-school,” compared with the Americanized version of Italian food we are used to.
The traditional lasagna or any of the seafood pasta options are the most popular dishes. Fiorello says his favorite dishes are the seafood pasta or any dish with his mother’s homemade pink alfredo sauce.
There are daily lunch and dinner specials, including branzino, salmon, fresh sea bass or ravioli bolognese with cream sauce. A deli is also available for lunch in the restaurant every day.
Fiorello and his mother both work at Azzurri the six days a week they are open. Customers will usually find them in the kitchen cooking, but they often make their way around the restaurant greeting customers and getting to know their regulars. Fiorello says, “Making friends with our customers is one of the most important things to us.”
With the amount of time spent working at their several businesses, the Fiorellos say it is usually difficult to allow for anything else. “Sometimes the whole family will go to a pool on Sundays when we are closed, but other than that, we really do not have much time for anything else,” says Fiorello. The restauranteur says because of his business, he has not had the chance to return to see his family in Sicily since 2016.
As for the future of Azzurri, Fiorello says the restaurant will remain open for a long time with new menu items being featured frequently. He plans to return to Sicily soon to visit the rest of his family and get new ideas to bring back to his own business.
“Although owning a restaurant can be stressful, it is always worth it when I see the expression on our customers’ faces when trying our food,” Fiorello says with a smile.
TO THE POINT
Azzurri Italian Restaurant
Address: 7 Hidenwood Shopping Center, Newport News, VA 23606
Contact: Giuseppe Fiorello
Phone: 757-926-4890
Website: azzurriitalianrestaurant.com/location/azzuri-italian-restaurant
