If you’ve enjoyed a fresh bagel at your local coffee shop, there’s a good chance it’s from this Lakeland deli. Off Old Road 37 is a little slice of the Big Apple – a deli and bodega featuring freshly baked bread, meals made with family recipes, and a whole lot of passion. “Uncle Nick” DeBellis was born and raised in the Bronx. He started working in the food industry at 14 and owned his deli, Mountain Top, in New York for 25 years. “He was so famous in such a small town,” sai

In a small tidy kitchen off Highway 17 in Lake Alfred, Calogero “Charlie” Restivo makes the best pizza in Polk County. Over piping hot espressos, Charlie dished about his background, to-die-for dough, and the joy he gets creating a memorable guest experience. A thirty-year culinary veteran and first-generation Italian American, Restivo hails from Queens, New York. He grew up in a predominantly Italian neighborhood. “That’s where I started working in pizzerias and delis as a

The couple behind Bandidas pop-up café, Gio and Gabriella Favilli-Vigoreaux, could teach a masterclass in self-expression. Everything about the brand they’ve created together is intentional, inimitable, and just plain good. The two-woman team operating out of the Catapult Kitchen Incubator started as Vicky G’s and Casita Verde. A Central Florida native and first-generation American, Gio would travel to Nicaragua several times a year to visit family growing up. She delighted i