Mari: So my first question is for you to tell us a little bit about your story, and how many... how much time have you been in the restaurant business, and where did you learn and how?

Matteo: Okay. So, I come from Italy, me and my wife, we met in the United States actually. So I come from the restaurant business for so many years. I started when I was very, very young—I was just 14. I started to work during the weekend, like usually do as a student, and then you try to develop... I fall in love with this kind of business.

Of course, because you really, really need love if you want to do it. It’s not just a matter of money sometimes. And it gave me opportunity to travel all around Europe—like France, German, Spain—and gave me the opportunity to meet so many, many people and to practice all my language. I did the language school in Italy: French, English, German, and Spanish.

So, give me really the opportunity to find a job all around Europe and to share all my knowledge about wine and food with international people.

Then I won the interview in Milan with the Disney World International Program. They select me as one of the person that can travel to the United States. They give you like one year to stay in the United States, you need to work for them, and then start a different scenario. You know, Disney is a multinational company, give you the opportunity to grow, to understand how really American system is in the tourist industry.

After three year with Disney World... that really renew me the contract for three year... I met my wife during this period. And this second school, American school, give me really the opportunity travel all around: New York, Colorado, Aspen, Denver, Vail.

And after, we went even to the Caribbean Islands, some part, where we got the opportunity to meet so many, many people. And we decide to come finally in Miami to open our first restaurant.

Because we still think that in 2009 was very good opportunity to open a little caffetteria in Miami in West Avenue. Where we start to do different kind of concept, like aperitivo style, Italian way, so people can really enjoy the Italian atmosphere.

And then we move in Biscayne Boulevard with NiDo Caffe, we represent a mozzarella bar, where we start to do in a different location and was very, very successful.

After that, we decide to come in Coconut Grove because in 2012 we understand that Coconut Grove was a kind of town that really need a very authentic Italian restaurant. And me and my wife did decide to stay here for... now is almost 15 years.

And we still really enjoy it. So all the neighborhood, and you know, all my staff, and then all my family, all my kids... during this transaction now they are already 15 and 13, they gonna start to work in the restaurant industry too. And so the generation is gonna move on.

So we gonna open a new location on Main Highway next month. We need to leave this beautiful house, but we think we have been very lucky to find a new home. And with all the support of the neighborhood, I'm sure we gonna have more, much more success. But of course, the most important thing is the tradition and the atmosphere in the right place at Sapore di Mare

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Mari: What is your favorite dish?

Matteo: The favorite dish is... all the Italian dish are very, very good and very different, but the most popular that we really have success is something that is not on the menu.

And this is weird, but actually sometime thing when are not too much advertised is are the more successful and more good, and become more popular.

In this case, for me, is the cacio e pepe with truffle in the big caciotta. Is something that represent for us success, and is gonna be still not on the menu for scaramanzia things. So. Good luck to you.

Mari: Thank you