Paoletti’s Celebrates 70!

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: July 2023

Left to Right: Zac Vidic, Gina Paoletti Ametrano, Arthur Paoletti, Gina C. Paoletti, and Julio Bonilla

Few restaurants last 10 years, let alone 70. With its original proprietors having first set up shop in 1953, Paoletti’s has seen it all – from the War in Vietnam to Covid lockdowns, through blizzards and recessions. It is proudly the most resilient of businesses on the Plateau. And its history is the history of the Paoletti family.

Their story began in 1930 when Arturo and Rita Paoletti arrived in Ellis Island from Trisungo, their beloved town in the Marche region of Italy, with their children Maria and Luigi. In 1951, having spent more than 2 decades in pursuit of “the American Dream’, they moved to Miami. Not much later Rita decided that their new home was the ideal location for an Italian restaurant.

Left to Right: Vijay Shastri, Kyle Tarczynski, and Arthur Paoletti

When the “mom and pop” restaurant Rita Paoletti opened in 1953, it was likely every American’s ideal of an Italian restaurant. Guests dined on Italian comfort food – lasagna, meatballs in red sauce, linguini with clams – delivered by white-coated waiters to diners seated at tables draped with red and white checked clothes and lit by candles held fast in straw chianti bottles. Times were good, business was still better and in 1960, after 7 years Rita moved her operation to Coral Gables. The restaurant they opened in a converted furniture factory breathed romanticism and fantasy – everyone was greeted at the door by Maria Paoletti, while violinists serenaded guests seated around a large fountain while they feasted on lobster Paoletti, veal parmigiana and homemade gnocchi. It was there that the Paoletti family solidified their reputation.

The Original Paoletti’s 1953

Years passed. In 1976, the stewardship of the restaurant was passed to Luigi Paoletti and his wife Regina. Eager to be closer to their six children, they decided to move the business to Delray Beach. Arthur Paoletti, born the year Paoletti’s opened in Coral Gables, recalls that, “Summers were really slow in Delray Beach, and that eventually brought us to Highlands. It was my mother’s vision to open a restaurant there.” In 1984, Paoletti’s Restaurant opened in Highlands on Main Street. As Arthur Paoletti recalled, “For the first twelve years we went back and forth between Highlands and Delray every 5 months. It would take us a month to get repositioned and reopened. We were gypsies every 5 months. My brother Kevin cooked, and my other brother John and I worked the floor.”

Paoletti’s Delray Beach 1976

The first 5 years in Highlands were a struggle. The building they leased (and now own) had formerly been a cheese shop, and the remnants of that business lingered – deli boxes occupied the front of the building, a pizza oven served as the only cooking equipment, and there was no walk-in cooler. “Slowly and surely, we created a restaurant. But it took a while to get everything we needed to make it happen.”

Maria Paoletti, National Restaurant Show 1981

What was original to the building and what the family retained were the wine racks down the center of the building. Arthur, who had developed a passion for wine in his late teens, began filling the shelves, building a wine program. Today the restaurant boasts two wine cellars and a wine list of nearly 1000 selections that is the recipient of the coveted Wine Spectator “Best of Award of Excellence.” The wine program is now managed by Kyle Tarczynski, an Advanced Sommelier, who intends on sitting for the Master Sommelier Exam next year.

John Paoletti returned to Florida in the early 90’s, and matriarch, Regina Paoletti, remained active until 2010 when her sons, Kevin and Arthur, took over operations. Long-time employees – Julio Bonilla, Vijay Shastri, and Danny Magliocca – continue to be a vital part of the restaurant, collectively they’ve worked for the restaurant for nearly 67 years.

Paoletti’s Highlands, NC 1984

Paoletti’s has grown and flourished along with the community. A growth that Arthur Paoletti says is largely attributable to changes brought on by the Old Edwards Inn. And the restaurant continues to evolve. Not long ago the décor was updated, and Arthur returned from a recent trip to Italy invigorated with new menu ideas.

Paoletti’s remains a family business. Arthur’s daughter, Gina C. Paoletti, who had formerly worked in business and finance in Miami and New York came aboard last year as Director of Operations. As Arthur said, “She has brought a 21st-century mindset to our operations.” Gina Paoletti Ametrano, affectionately known as Mama G, greets guests in her capacity as “Maître de Maison.” Arthur Paoletti is still heavily involved in day-to-day operations, assisted by his daughter’s partner, Zac Vidic, who is General Manager and Director of Human Resources.

Ristorante Paoletti Highlands, NC 1992

Perhaps Gina Paoletti described her family and the restaurant best when she said that “What is significant is that while things have changed, a lot has stayed the same. Part of our success is that we have always been a family-run business. We are that quintessential Italian American family. From joyous times to trying times, the food we share is at the heart of our traditions. We come together around food and wine, and that’s what we bring to the restaurant. We want our guests to feel like they’re coming to our home because in a sense the restaurant is our home.”