A Brazilian employee of Modern laid the groundwork for the venture there, but Marino says the country's Latin culture and language suit him. Even with new construction markets, Marino has made diversification into an art. Ristorante Marino in Cambridge has served serious patrons of Italian food from the Abruzzo region since he started it in 1990. Boston Harbor Cruises, purchased in a joint venture last year, augments Marino's waterfront holdings that include two marinas. His residential unit is building high-end subdivisions in New England and the South.
Half is rented to other tenants.
Marino also recently started the Marino Center for Progressive Health, a holistic and traditional clinic focusing on preventative medicine. GURU Taking the long view is a Marino trait. He started working out 20 years ago as business pressures mounted and is also very strict about diet. Marino Lookout Farm in Natick, his 150-acre organic farm, generates his own and much of the restaurant's food. Marino's business empire may be farflung, but his message always hits close to home.