We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Antoniella Paradiso. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Antoniella below.

Antoniella, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Family has always defined Antonella Paradiso’s love affair with Italian restaurants. “My parents ended up opening a few restaurants, so my brother and I were very hands-on,” explained Antonella, owner of Antonella’s Pizzeria in Winter Park (two locations). “We learned from them how hard it was to get the business going. And how you need a passion to fuel you through the hard times.” Antonella’s first job in the restaurant business was “dessert girl,” she recalls with a smile. “The position was created so I could see my papa Stefano more.
He worked long hours and I would take the city bus at 14 years old and show the dessert tray to guests.”
College led to a job working for Darden Restaurants. She set her sights on Corporate and a marketing position until the pull of working on the front lines changed her mind. “I ended up being a service manager for one of their
restaurants,” she remembers, “and realized how much I loved and missed the industry.”
Her journey through the restaurant business had the usual ebbs and flows – and lessons along the way.
“Know every position well,” is her first piece of advice to women administrators starting out. “To connect with your staff and guests is also important because,
at the end of the day, they are like your family. I spend more time with them than my own family!”
Community involvement is another important building block, she says. “Get involved in your community. Being able to help local churches or schools is what makes my soul happy.”
As for what drives her, Antonella again puts family first.
“My mom inspires me on a regular basis. She has an amazing work ethic both at home and work. She is dedicated and loyal. She has taught me many valuable lessons.”
Antonella’s husband, Francesco, is the reason she opened her pizzeria in 2016, she says. “We both grew up together in Queens. He is extremely talented and
has taught me that making pizza is a true art form.”
For Antonella Paradiso, the story remains the same. All in the family. antonellaspizza.com

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Antoniella Paradiso is an Orlando-based restauranteur and current owner and operator of Antonella’s Pizzeria, with two locations in Winter Park, Fla. Antoniella and her husband and business partner, Frank, have been serving some of the most authentic and highly sought-after Italian dishes and New York Style Pizza in Central Florida for more than two decades.

The culinary duo have deep roots in the Central Florida Italian restaurant scene. Antonella’s father and restaurateur Stefano LaCommare is the originator of IL Pescatore, Stefano’s Trattoria, and current owner of Nonno’s Italian Restaurant in Altamonte Springs. In addition to working within the family businesses for many years, Antoniella and Frank opened their first pizzeria, Pizza Paradiso, in 2004 and a few years later Goodfella’s in Debary with their cousin Sal. Antoniella has also worked as a manager with Darden Restaurants in 2000.

Antoniella is a graduate of Florida International University and has a double major in Business and marketing. She and her husband Frank have two beautiful girls and live in the Winter Park area. She is a graduate of Leadership Winter Park and remains engaged in a variety of community organizations and associations. An OCPS approved school vendor, Antoniella is passionate about education and currently sits on the Board of Directors at Lakemont Elementary’s SAC committee and Maitland Middle School’s SAC as a partner in education.

We’d appreciate any insights you can share with us about selling a business.

Our family is infamous on getting a new restaurant up and going And then when things are at their very best, we sell them. We have done this over 6 times. It’s a lot of work, but a huge pay off. Almost like flipping homes. A lot of people getting into the food industry have no clue how much work it takes just to get the doors open. Selling a successful restaurant comes in high demand, so its been a great thing for us.
We are now on a new venture on owning multiple locations rather than selling them. So having two locations for us is a first.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

During covid, i had to unlearn everything and start from scratch. Everyday seemed like a new first day on the joB. We quickly had to adapt and think outside the box to keep sales going. We turned our dining room into a quick grab n go market where we sold all high demand products like gloves, soap, sanitizer, toilet paper. We were still able to order those products without any shortages to us, so that extra money on products helped significantly pay for ongoing costs of running a business. Having to shut down oiler dining rooms, meant we needed to quickly learn and change our strategy daily.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.antonellaspizza.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/antonellaspizzeria/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/antonellaspizza/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lbm3AblrrJU
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/antonellas-pizzeria-winter-park. https://www.yelp.com/biz/antonellas-pizzeria-winter-park-2
• Other: We have two locations