SARASOTA, Fla. — One Sarasota restaurant is getting ready to ring in the new year by finally reopening next week. Nonno Umberto Seafood and Steakhouse, formerly Le Colonne in St. Amrands is opening Monday at 5 p.m.
This comes after last year’s hurricanes left the restaurant devastated.
What You Need To Know
Nonno Umberto Seafood and Steakhouse reopens Monday after rebuilding
The restaurant was previously devastated by Hurricane Helene last year
Owner Simone Salustri raised $200,000 with a food truck to fund the rebuild
Simone Salustri has a few dishes up his sleeve. He’s been cooking since he was a kid growing up in Rome — inheriting his culinary skills from his father — and bringing his culture’s food to St. Armands Circle for 25 years.
But all that changed last year.
Salustri says they lost almost everything in a flood during Hurricane Helene — forcing them to get creative to raise money to rebuild.
“The food truck made all this possible. We drove 20,000 miles in about eight months. We had to generate hundreds of thousands in sales,” he said.
He says they made about $200,000 from the food truck — all of it going toward rebuilding their new restaurant, Nonno Umberto, named after his father.
“We started in July, and it took a few months. It was hard work because we had to rebuild the foundation, all the floors, the plumbing, and the electrical,” Salustri said.
It’s the latest in a series of reopenings in the area.
Le Shop reopened about a month ago next door.
Salustri says they’re opening just in time to welcome the new year.
“Here we go — like we never closed. We’ve been through hell, but we’re back,” he said.
Back in the same place he built with the help of his father — a family business he hopes will be here for a long time.
Dining and Cooking