DAVIS ISLANDS, Fla. — If you haven’t taken a stroll down East Davis Boulevard in a while, then you’re missing a new restaurant.
It’s called Spartaco’s Kitchen, and it’s run by a brother and sister duo from the Emilia Romagna region of Italy.
“We grew up eating good food. I would say my father and my mother used to be the staple, very important, homemade pasta cooked every day,” said Spartaco Giolito.
Spartaco immigrated to the United States to follow in his family’s footsteps.
“When I decided to come to the United States in 1985, my cousin was the original owner of Donatello,” said Giolito.
Eventually, Spartaco wanted to branch out on his own, and he knew just the person to join him: his sister Ombretta.
“I convinced her to come over and try it, so she came a couple of years invitation, for a long vacation, three to six months,” said Giolito.
However, Spartaco’s restaurant dreams came to a sudden halt, and he was forced to sell the business in 2018 due to circumstances out of his control.
“I contracted an auto-immune disease,” said Giolito. “Even close to death, and thank God I guess they didn’t want me up there.”
Now, Spartaco is back, along with his sister and his wife.
“I came back on my feet, so to speak, and we put together this idea, and our goal was basically to do something a little bit different, with all due respect to what the Italian restaurant scene is in Tampa Bay,” said Giolito. “So my sister Ombretta, she comes out with the idea to say, ‘Why don’t we produce our mom’s pasta, our mom’s recipe, our area.’”
They even have a special wall dedicated to Mom, complete with her favorite rolling pin. She may have passed, but her spirit lives on with every item on the menu.
The small intimate setting only has room for 35 people, or as Spartaco likes to put it, one big happy family.”
“I wouldn’t be here today, after what I went through, without their support and their help,” said Giolito.
This family is especially proud that their long journey back is taking place in the heart of Davis Islands.
“Beautiful community. Everyone is looking after each other, everyone supports each other,” said Giolito.
