Since I was 9 years old, I have seen my uncles working in the restaurants and my parents and it is still so exciting. It is the greatest in the world. I think the guests love coming in and visiting with us too. I love working in such a close-knit family. When the family gets together it means a party of 25 in one location.
Holidays are especially impressive.
For Christmas we take turns going to one family's house. What started as a family holding on to its Italian heritage has now become a major factor in the city's restaurant industry. Though the economic impact to the city is staggering, it is the down-home values and work ethic that have made their restaurants such a success. Coming to Texas from Sicily, Vincenzo and Margharita Mandola started out by picking strawberries in Dickinson, eventually owning grocery stores in Houston. Little did they know that their names would become associated with some of the finest restaurants in Houston.