Company Milestones: Joe Vicari Restaurant Group

May 3, 2024

– PROMOTIONAL CONTENT –

While restaurants come and go, and others have struggled through the many challenges of the recent pandemic, one longtime Detroit area establishment has not only survived, but has thrived and even expanded. Over the past 35 years, Joseph Vicari has established multiple Metro-Detroit Andiamo restaurants with the belief that success begins in the kitchen, which led him to a meeting with Master Chef Aldo Ottaviani in 1989.
Chef Aldo, who had recently retired from owning his own Italian restaurant (Aldo’s on Detroit’s East side), agreed to come work with Vicari. For the next 22 years, the two created the award-winning and legendary Andiamo restaurants built on authentic Italian cuisine, the finest ingredients, and Chef Aldo’s creative recipes.

A lot has changed over the past 35 years, but what was created during that initial meeting and over the early years of Michigan-based Andiamo remains the cornerstone of their incredible success story.

Andiamo Corporate Executive Chef Jim Oppat continues to instill the principles of the late Chef Aldo. All Andiamo soups and sauces are made from scratch, only the freshest seasonal ingredients are used, and they still rely on hundreds of Chef Aldo’s original recipes.

Part of the Andiamo team includes the restaurant’s renowned “pasta ladies” – Anna, Tanya, and Angelina. They continue to be the cornerstone of the Vicari’s mission by making fresh pasta daily by hand for all their restaurants.

“Our passion is quality products,” says Chef Jim. “When great food is paired with excellent service and ambiance, lasting memories are created.”

Andiamo has been longtime good neighbors to their communities, supporting and giving back to numerous charitable organizations such as the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, Gleaners Food Bank, Henry Ford Hospital, Hermelin Brain Tumor Center, and The Saint Louis Center in Chelsea, Michigan.

Vicari, founder and CEO, has built Andiamo on three simple Italian principles: Great food, family, and a zest for life. He still operates his business based on a personal belief that if you treat people well, they will stay with you and be a part of your success.
“We are committed to our team who aim to provide first class customer service and are the heart of Andiamo,” he says. “Many team members have been with us since the beginning, their professional growth is a symbol of our growth as a Metro Detroit business.”

The company continues to grow and expand, including a Joe Muer Seafood recently opened in Nashville and a new Andiamo opening this summer at Partridge Creek Mall.

“Our brand has a great deal of longevity,” he says. “There’s not a lot of restaurants that have been around as long as we have.”
Andiamo started in the kitchen 35 years ago and will continue to serve our community for decades to come.

LOCATIONS
Detroit Riverfront, Bloomfield, Livonia, Warren, Detroit Metro Airport, Fenton & Las Vegas