Thursday, March 1, 2012
Holiday Memories Still Vibrant Today at LaBella Italia
By: Jay Shurling
December 2011
‘Tis the season for baking. That’s how the Alaimo family, owners of LaBella Italia led by
matriarch Anna Alaimo, spends a lot of time getting ready for the holiday. They bake cookies.
LaBella General Manager and daughter Victoria Caruso recalls her childhood back in Brooklyn, New York and being involved with the family bakery.
“We grew up making cookies at this time of year. I can remember being seven years old and standing on a milk crate manning the register, that’s what the holidays meant to me. The smells of the cinnamon and vanilla are present today bringing back those memories now in Hampton Roads”
Almond cookies called Amaretti and Buccelati made of fig are still baked today at LaBella. Cookies so good the Vacation Channel wanted to make sure visitors to Hampton Roads stopped by for a taste of the Alaimo family holiday tradition with Sicilian-born Anna Alaimo. Caruso was excited to see her mother share a piece of their history,” Mom got a chance to make our Amaretti cookie and share the recipe. It was so fun to see her do this, hearing her accent. It was a great family moment.”
Of course, the bakery was the start that led to today’s full service restaurant and the family is ever present in the day-to-day operation. Brother Andrea DiCarlo, Marco Scaramellino and Sister Victoria keep the family traditions in place; simply never compromise quality and take each patron on a trip to Italy during their short visit to LaBella.
“Everything has to be perfect, from the consistency of the homemade Mozzarella, making sure the bread has that texture and to be really hands-on every day. When you come in, we’re talking Italian. We want to make sure the customer has the best experience.”
Check out the first issue of Unique, Special and Different by clicking on the video HERE!
December 2011
‘Tis the season for baking. That’s how the Alaimo family, owners of LaBella Italia led by
matriarch Anna Alaimo, spends a lot of time getting ready for the holiday. They bake cookies.
LaBella General Manager and daughter Victoria Caruso recalls her childhood back in Brooklyn, New York and being involved with the family bakery.
“We grew up making cookies at this time of year. I can remember being seven years old and standing on a milk crate manning the register, that’s what the holidays meant to me. The smells of the cinnamon and vanilla are present today bringing back those memories now in Hampton Roads”
Almond cookies called Amaretti and Buccelati made of fig are still baked today at LaBella. Cookies so good the Vacation Channel wanted to make sure visitors to Hampton Roads stopped by for a taste of the Alaimo family holiday tradition with Sicilian-born Anna Alaimo. Caruso was excited to see her mother share a piece of their history,” Mom got a chance to make our Amaretti cookie and share the recipe. It was so fun to see her do this, hearing her accent. It was a great family moment.”
Of course, the bakery was the start that led to today’s full service restaurant and the family is ever present in the day-to-day operation. Brother Andrea DiCarlo, Marco Scaramellino and Sister Victoria keep the family traditions in place; simply never compromise quality and take each patron on a trip to Italy during their short visit to LaBella.
“Everything has to be perfect, from the consistency of the homemade Mozzarella, making sure the bread has that texture and to be really hands-on every day. When you come in, we’re talking Italian. We want to make sure the customer has the best experience.”
Check out the first issue of Unique, Special and Different by clicking on the video HERE!
President’s Report - December 2011
Greetings Members, Associates and Friends of the VBRA:
I hope this message finds you well and you are enjoying a bustling holiday season. The holidays are a wonderful time to truly make your guest's experience unforgettable. Specialized and attractive drink features are one way to make your guest's experience over the top. Recently I was dining in a
restaurant and ordered their drink special which was a beautiful red pomegranate flavored drink served in a stylish martini glass and garnished with a miniature candy cane. The entire table was impressed and commented on the thoughtful presentation. As restaurateurs, we are always looking for
new ways not only to gain customers, but also to impress them and keep them returning. Sometimes we overanalyze how we should be doing this, when really the solution can be as simple as a beautiful and well put together drink, or a server that goes the extra mile to impress the guest, or an owner that remembers a guests face and introduces him/herself and makes that guest feel important. We live in a society that is more and more consumed with technology and less and less interested in personal engagement. That is where our industry can be set apart, and where we can really make an impact. We must give our guests that one on one traditional and doting dining experience. Much like restaurants did 20 years ago, 50 years ago and 100 years ago. The fundamentals of our industry simply do not change. While we may invest in the latest technology with our point of sale systems, or send out our nightly specials via text message, or allow our guest the convenience of online booking for reservations, our restaurant guests are coming for one thing, the same thing which they have been relying on restaurants for many, many years: excellent food served by friendly and professional servers in a warm, accommodating atmosphere. I wish your business success this holiday season and beyond.
Warmly,
Kristina Pitsilides Chastain
PS--we hope you enjoy our new feature in this newsletter, a link to a "Special, Unique and Different" video that highlights a restaurant member doing just that. A special thank you to associate member The Vacation Channel and Patrick Walsh who will be producing this feature for us.
I hope this message finds you well and you are enjoying a bustling holiday season. The holidays are a wonderful time to truly make your guest's experience unforgettable. Specialized and attractive drink features are one way to make your guest's experience over the top. Recently I was dining in a
restaurant and ordered their drink special which was a beautiful red pomegranate flavored drink served in a stylish martini glass and garnished with a miniature candy cane. The entire table was impressed and commented on the thoughtful presentation. As restaurateurs, we are always looking for
new ways not only to gain customers, but also to impress them and keep them returning. Sometimes we overanalyze how we should be doing this, when really the solution can be as simple as a beautiful and well put together drink, or a server that goes the extra mile to impress the guest, or an owner that remembers a guests face and introduces him/herself and makes that guest feel important. We live in a society that is more and more consumed with technology and less and less interested in personal engagement. That is where our industry can be set apart, and where we can really make an impact. We must give our guests that one on one traditional and doting dining experience. Much like restaurants did 20 years ago, 50 years ago and 100 years ago. The fundamentals of our industry simply do not change. While we may invest in the latest technology with our point of sale systems, or send out our nightly specials via text message, or allow our guest the convenience of online booking for reservations, our restaurant guests are coming for one thing, the same thing which they have been relying on restaurants for many, many years: excellent food served by friendly and professional servers in a warm, accommodating atmosphere. I wish your business success this holiday season and beyond.
Warmly,
Kristina Pitsilides Chastain
PS--we hope you enjoy our new feature in this newsletter, a link to a "Special, Unique and Different" video that highlights a restaurant member doing just that. A special thank you to associate member The Vacation Channel and Patrick Walsh who will be producing this feature for us.
The Vacation Channel books a ticket to a new look
By: Jay Shurling
December 2011
The anticipated New Year brings hope of a fresh start, improved outlook, renewed energy to our area and many Canadians in for a visit. For the “Video Rich” Vacation Channel, the New Year brings a fresh look with improved technologies to better inform visitors to our areas’ culinary offerings.
Manger Patrick Walsh has been with the Vacation Channel for 15 years of the three decades the company has been showcasing area businesses to visitors staying in Hampton Roads hotels through their in-room visitors’ channel. This planned new website launch set for mid-January has kept him busy while expanding the mobile capabilities of the new site.
“We’ve been focused on the new website since August and integrating mobile technology into it. Smartphone are the wave of the future and by 2015 will be the main source of info for consumers, especially getting from point A to point B while on a trip.”
Integrating the new technologies is so important when your business is video based, but this also leads to giving potential customer instant info to eateries and potential deals to go along with it.
“We’re incorporating QR codes on our channel and into advertising. We can envision customers walking up to a restaurant along the oceanfront, seeing a QC code on the door and getting an instant deal right there. That leads them inside and we’ve done our job making a connection.”
With the new site, restaurants and other businesses will be able to have personalized landing pages, called ByteSites that will include their logo & descriptions, coupons, videos, maps & directions, contact info, links to social media pages, mobile ready sites and QR codes for print campaigns.
That’s a large menu for what Patrick calls a small business helping other small businesses, “It’s important that we’re giving them high quality products and video as it gives them a return on their investment.”
Keep a search out for a new www.vacationchannels.com by Mid-January.
December 2011
The anticipated New Year brings hope of a fresh start, improved outlook, renewed energy to our area and many Canadians in for a visit. For the “Video Rich” Vacation Channel, the New Year brings a fresh look with improved technologies to better inform visitors to our areas’ culinary offerings.
Manger Patrick Walsh has been with the Vacation Channel for 15 years of the three decades the company has been showcasing area businesses to visitors staying in Hampton Roads hotels through their in-room visitors’ channel. This planned new website launch set for mid-January has kept him busy while expanding the mobile capabilities of the new site.
“We’ve been focused on the new website since August and integrating mobile technology into it. Smartphone are the wave of the future and by 2015 will be the main source of info for consumers, especially getting from point A to point B while on a trip.”
Integrating the new technologies is so important when your business is video based, but this also leads to giving potential customer instant info to eateries and potential deals to go along with it.
“We’re incorporating QR codes on our channel and into advertising. We can envision customers walking up to a restaurant along the oceanfront, seeing a QC code on the door and getting an instant deal right there. That leads them inside and we’ve done our job making a connection.”
With the new site, restaurants and other businesses will be able to have personalized landing pages, called ByteSites that will include their logo & descriptions, coupons, videos, maps & directions, contact info, links to social media pages, mobile ready sites and QR codes for print campaigns.
That’s a large menu for what Patrick calls a small business helping other small businesses, “It’s important that we’re giving them high quality products and video as it gives them a return on their investment.”
Keep a search out for a new www.vacationchannels.com by Mid-January.
AZAR’S – AN UNEXPECTED AREA GIFT
December 2011
We’ve all gotten that unexpected gift during the holidays. You remember THE one. You weren’t sure about it, you didn’t ask for it, but you happily accepted it. Now looking back, you couldn’t imagine life without it. For the last 23 years, Azar’s has been an area gift, a favorite stop for Mediterranean food. The creation of the business in Hampton Roads was a complete surprise for Azar’s Lebanese owners Lina & Tony Saady, or the gift they didn’t ask for but happily accepted. Tony remembers it well; “My In-Laws were on their way to Florida from the Northeast for a vacation after selling the family restaurant. Car problems in Virginia Beach stopped the trip after this detour to see some family. It took more than a week for parts to arrive to fix the car, but in that time they decided to stay in Virginia Beach. They even bought a house; my wife and I then join shortly after and went to work on our business.” Azar’s, Lina’s maiden name, opened in 1988 operating from that house,
selling those now well-known Middle Eastern and Mediterranean treats still today, grouped with multiple area restaurants that still make an impressive 90% of the food that is served. Good food brings patrons back to Azar’s again and again with a longevity that now stretches over generations and in-between military assignments to the area. “We’ve had a lot of repeat customers over the years and now we see their kids and even grandkids come into our stores and that is just cool to see. And, we have those military families that come see us, like us and then return after working in the Middle East and want that food experience again when they return here to work and live.” The Saady’s love that loyalty, but stay creative to expand their customer base. With the current economy, they’ve taken 2 distinct menus, one lunch and the other dinner and combined them to create lower priced meal, especially for evening dining. A new growth area for Tony has been catering. “We do office parties, box lunches and weddings from 30 guests to 300. It’s business that has come mainly from referrals, but it is something that we are certainly focused on because we have the staff, the know-how and facilities to do it.” Azar’s has also returned to its original business plan that started this unexpected journey in Hampton Roads. After dropping their direct wholesale business, Azar’s products are now distributed in bulk to restaurants and universities. So, when you open that unexpected gift this year that you’re not sure about, give a quick thought to a broken down car and 23 years of success at Azar’s and give it a chance.
The Katsias Company
Local Real Estate Leader finds his start in VB Restaurants
September 2011
The Katsias Company was founded by Mike Katsias, in 1980 after working on the development and
leasing of Pembroke Mall and Pembroke Office Park with Pembroke Reality. Over the past 25 years, his son, John Katsias has helped expand the company from a commercial real estate firm to one with a portfolio that boasts approximately two million square feet consisting of mainly restaurants and retailers across the state of Virginia. John has been involved in the restaurant industry since his childhood in Virginia Beach, working at over a handful of establishments, starting as a dishwasher in his grandfathers Atlantic Street restaurant as a boy. Through his experiences he developed a passion for the food industry and even though his plans were put on hold to retain his real estate license, he has always remained a supporter of the restaurant industry. He prides himself on representing and working with many local, regional and national restaurants in their site selection processes and negations of favorable leases and contracts for their locations throughout Hampton Roads. With John’s extensive local market knowledge, resources and connections throughout the community, he and the Katsias Company can
offer members of the Virginia Beach Restaurant Association invaluable services as the relate to their businesses. Whether it involves negotiating a lease, finding a new location or simply a question that relates to business, John is more than happy to help and become more involved in the industry.
September 2011
The Katsias Company was founded by Mike Katsias, in 1980 after working on the development and
leasing of Pembroke Mall and Pembroke Office Park with Pembroke Reality. Over the past 25 years, his son, John Katsias has helped expand the company from a commercial real estate firm to one with a portfolio that boasts approximately two million square feet consisting of mainly restaurants and retailers across the state of Virginia. John has been involved in the restaurant industry since his childhood in Virginia Beach, working at over a handful of establishments, starting as a dishwasher in his grandfathers Atlantic Street restaurant as a boy. Through his experiences he developed a passion for the food industry and even though his plans were put on hold to retain his real estate license, he has always remained a supporter of the restaurant industry. He prides himself on representing and working with many local, regional and national restaurants in their site selection processes and negations of favorable leases and contracts for their locations throughout Hampton Roads. With John’s extensive local market knowledge, resources and connections throughout the community, he and the Katsias Company can
offer members of the Virginia Beach Restaurant Association invaluable services as the relate to their businesses. Whether it involves negotiating a lease, finding a new location or simply a question that relates to business, John is more than happy to help and become more involved in the industry.
Social Media: Lacking ‘Social’ Skills? We are here to help.
September 2011
The Virginia Beach Restaurant Association sponsored a free event on Wednesday, August 10th at the Virginia Beach Resort Hotel and Conference Center to help members throughout our community learn how to become more socially savvy. The Hodges Partnership out of Richmond presented on the ins and outs of social media with a primary focus on facebook and twitter. They answered hot questions on QR Codes and LivingSocial/Groupon. The overall summary was that social media is here; it’s not going anywhere and if you are not actively participating you are losing out on a free marketing opportunity. For more information on the Hodges Partnership and how they can get you started please visit their website: http://www.hodgespart.com/. Please join us at our upcoming annual meeting scheduled for October 26th, from 5-7pm at Steinhiblers Restaurant.
The Virginia Beach Restaurant Association sponsored a free event on Wednesday, August 10th at the Virginia Beach Resort Hotel and Conference Center to help members throughout our community learn how to become more socially savvy. The Hodges Partnership out of Richmond presented on the ins and outs of social media with a primary focus on facebook and twitter. They answered hot questions on QR Codes and LivingSocial/Groupon. The overall summary was that social media is here; it’s not going anywhere and if you are not actively participating you are losing out on a free marketing opportunity. For more information on the Hodges Partnership and how they can get you started please visit their website: http://www.hodgespart.com/. Please join us at our upcoming annual meeting scheduled for October 26th, from 5-7pm at Steinhiblers Restaurant.
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