Cafe Gabbiano - History
Cafe Gabbiano is Siesta's taste of Italy
Pietro Migliaccio and his wife Susan are the proprietors of the Cafe Gabbiano, the motto of which is "To Siesta Key through New York from Ischia with Love." It's located in Siesta Key Village's Davidson Plaza. Pietro left the beautiful isle of Ischia in 1969 and relocated to New York, where he worked in several well-known restaurants.
He opened Mamma Lucia's, a Brooklyn neighborhood cafe, in 1981, and in that same year the New York Times named it Restaurant of the Year. Later, Mimi Sheridan gave it four stars, and Pavarotti praised it on national television, lauding the best fettucine Alfredo he had ever tasted. Such is the pedigree of Cafe Gabbiano (which means "seagull" in Italian). Pietro's brother Giorgio now runs Mamma Lucia's, and Pietro and his family - sons Joe and Louis, and wife Susan - have relocated to Sarasota.
Pietro, a classically trained chef who once cooked on the legendary Italian Line cruise ships, opened the cafe in October 2003 and he's been committed to maintaining the same high standards as Mamma Lucia's. All pasta is cooked al dente, veal is hand cut, and fresh mozzarella is made daily.
Refreshed and renewed from a month in his beloved island of Ischia, Cafe Gabbiano's Pietro Migliaccio is back on Siesta with some new ideas - and honors - from his native land.
While visiting the famous seaside village of Positano on the Amalfi Coast, Pietro was guest chef at the renowned Chez Black Ristorante. He and his wife were awarded a plaque of commendation from the Italian Tourism Department for his promotion of Italian food and wine.