Small Business Spotlight: Roma Italian Kitchen

Vanessa Vasconcelos Image
Wednesday, September 4, 2024
Small Business Spotlight: Roma Italian Kitchen
Located in the shopping center off of Shepherd and Chestnut, you'll find Roma Italian Kitchen, where fast casual meets high quality.

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Located in the shopping center off of Shepherd and Chestnut, you'll find Roma Italian Kitchen, where fast casual meets high quality.

Owner Andrew Dinuzzo may have first opened his business in 2019 as a food truck, but he's been fine tuning his craft since childhood.

His grandparents started the beloved Mike's Pizzeria on West and Shields in 1962 after moving from Italy.

"I was born and raised there," Dinuzzo said. "My dad taught me a lot -- basically everything I know is self-taught, family taught. It's a very similar menu -- I have my twist and different takes on things and what not."

Seasonal dishes and specials change monthly.

"Eggplant parm will come and go on a special," Dinuzzo said. "Right now, we do homemade gnocchi, we do butternut squash, raviolis, homemade clam chowder."

Menu staples include the San Francisco Square, topped with basil and enzo chili oil.

"Everything we do here is made in-house, so I tell people all the time to venture and travel the menu," Dinuzzo said.

We did just that, starting with the RCBA, or Rigatoni Chicken Bacon Alfredo.

"It's been the number-one seller for the last five years, and then behind that is the spicy carbonara," Dinuzzo said. "It's our twist on a carbinara."

The restaurant's namesake, 9 year-old Roma told me it's her favorite.

"Like dad did when he was her age, Roma is learning the ins and outs of the family business," Dinuzzo said.

Since opening in June, Andrew says the brick-and-mortar restaurant has been well received.

For news updates, follow Vanessa Vasconcelos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.