Restaurant Bio

Nick's love affair with food began at an early age in the warmth of his family's kitchen in Long Island. While pursuing his dream, Nick found himself living and working in Puerto Rico where he met Terese, a 20-year veteran of the service industry, who was on a short getaway from New York City with a friend. Unexpectedly, Nick and Terese fell in love, and after a two-month long distance relationship, with nothing more than a backpack in tow, Nick moved to New York City. As the relationship between Nick and Terese continued to blossom, so did Nick's culinary dreams.

In 200?, Nick was accepted to the Florida Culinary Institute, which prompted Nick and Terese to pack up their belongings and move to Palm Beach so that Nick could pursue a formal culinary education. Briefly returning to New York to be married on the Bow Bridge in Central Park, Nick and Terese returned to Florida where they had their first son, Nicholas. In 2007, Nick graduated from the Florida Culinary Institute while simultaneously working as a private chef and refining his culinary skills.

While Nick and Terese were forced to return to New York, settling in Lake Placid, where Nick continued to create exquisite dishes and hone his craft. It was during this time that Nick and Terese welcomed their second son, Riley, into the world. After a brief hiatus from cooking, Nick's passion could not be contained and he, Terese, Nicholas, and Riley moved back to Florida where Nick and Terese made headlines after selling pressed sandwiches out of 1969 Volkswagen Bus.

Although Nick and Terese gained recognition for the delicious sandwiches they sold, they yearned to return to a simpler life, for themselves and their sons. So once again, they packed up their belongings and moved, this time to Ocilla, Georgia, where they were received with open arms and launched Nick's Steak and Pasta.

Nick's Steak and Pasta pays homage Nick's family, love of cooking, and background. Nick and Terese aim to bring a taste of New York to Ocilla while paying tribute to those who have inspired them, such as Grandpa Valentinetti, who was a professional baseball player and pitched for the New York Yankees during batting practice, and Terese's father whose tireless energy allowed him to provide a stable and secure home life for his five children.