Take A Trip To Italy Without Leaving Home

Story by Matthew Auerbach | Photos by Christina Clark

Emiliano Italian Greatness, the latest concept from Wellington’s Fashion Cuisine Group, aims to bring guests on a trip to northern Italy, designed to reflect the sights, smells and tastes of a rustic Italian village. The  restaurant opened earlier this year in the Marketplace at Wycliffe.

It takes a lot of confidence and a certain amount of bravado to name a restaurant “Emiliano Italian Greatness,” now open in the Marketplace at Wycliffe.

“Emiliano?” Maybe a family member, friend or inspiration. “Italian?” Thanks for the clarification. But “Greatness?” Aren’t you placing expectations a bit too high?

Not if you can back it up, and the new restaurant has been doing a great job so far.

“Emiliano Italian Greatness only opened in March 2024, however, we have been perfecting its concept for close to a year,” explained owner Juan Gando of Fashion Cuisine Group, the restaurateur behind several other popular Wellington establishments.

“We wanted our establishment to be more than just a restaurant, but a place where the community feels at home,” he said. “When you walk through the streets of Italy, you will see people ending work and just enjoying each other’s company. You see the community, gathering around the streets to enjoy food, drinks and laughs. We knew our community would love this idea; that they had a place to be transported to Italy and its culture.”

Who wouldn’t love a journey across the Atlantic to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of Italy? That’s what the folks at Emiliano have in store for you.

“I’d best describe it as a trip to a local Italian village, without the plane ticket,” Gando said. “The greens and rustic reds represent so much of what you see in a true Italian village. The arches, red clay tile and soft leather all remind you of the culture you miss from thousands of miles away. The greenery all over the restaurant reminds you of all the places in Italy that are just a person’s home and backyard, as they feed people who pass by. Emiliano was designed to be a location that transcends its location, bringing you to an entirely new one. An upscale feeling, with the tradition pouring over.”

Tradition takes a front seat at Emiliano. “It is everything,” Gando said. “Tradition is what fuels so many incredible locations within our community, and this one is no different. Every dish has a memory, and that is priceless.”

If every dish does indeed have a memory, you’ll find the northern Italian cuisine turned out by the kitchen unforgettable.

“Northern Italy is what Emiliano Italian Greatness is all about,” Gando said. “It is about being locally owned, set in a small village, with lots of culture and friendship.”

The unique tastes begin the moment you sit down.

“Our Burrata Bruschetta steals the appetizer show. It is one of our most popular appetizers, alongside our Piccola Melanzana, a very thinly sliced eggplant. It’s pan fried with our breadcrumbs. It takes time to layer, with vodka sauce, parmesan and mozzarella all-encompassing the dish. Afterward we bake it in a cast iron,” Gando explained.

He also has recommendations for your main course.

“Our Chicken Scarpariello Rigatoni is an ode to Northern Italy, while our Shrimp Scampi Risotto emulates the light lemon flair of Positano,” Gando explained.

Those are a few of the dishes that will cement your allegiance to Emiliano. Then, there are the surprise offerings that are truly unique.

“If you’re enjoying lunch with us, you must try our Neapolitan Pizza Sandwiches,” Gando said. “You can’t find them anywhere else, but they were inspired by lunches the owners enjoyed in the outskirts of Monterosso. If you are in the mood for something completely new, our Filet & Raviolo is a dinner dish you would have to try. The homemade giant ravioli is filled with caccio e peppe filling and an egg. It’s then placed on top of the filet mignon. Cutting into it creates an entirely new flavor profile to your steak that you didn’t know existed. Lastly, our pizza. It takes days to properly cure the dough. It was perfected over time, through generations of family chefs. It’s really unique to see a grandmother’s recipe now feed a community.”

Like any business bent on succeeding, the folks at Emiliano came up with a plan to help reach their goal. The plan was anything but ordinary.

“Many establishments think first what type of food they wish to create, but we chose a different route,” Gando said. “Instead, we first thought, ‘How do we want our guests to feel when they enter our establishment?’ It quickly became clear the Italian culture and cuisine would be the perfect fit for what we were trying to achieve.”

What it all comes down to is a well-loved, popular cuisine that is much more than a one-off meal. The food is made with skill and experience.

“Italian food reminds people of home,” Gando said. “It is the perfect combination of tradition, comfort and culture. Most people equate Italian food to the tradition of Sunday sauce that takes all day, a recipe that was passed down generation to generation. Italian cuisine describes comfort, because there is no better combination than pasta and cheese. The vibrancy of the culture is displayed within the food.”

For those of you who’ve been wondering, “Who’s Emiliano?”

“The name Emiliano has a familial importance to the owners, being a family name,” Gando said. “It was meant to showcase the timeless heritage we wanted to bring to Wellington. Of course, Emiliano Italian Greatness stemmed from the name Emiliano and the great Italian lineage it comes from. Not just Northern Italy, but also the great Italian ways of cooking.”

Emiliano Italian Greatness is located at 4115 S. State Road 7, Suite Z, in the Marketplace at Wycliffe. The hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily with happy hour specials every day from 4 to 6 p.m. For more information, call (561) 566-7580 or visit www.emilianoitalian.com.