Area chef shares Italian roots in deli and restaurant

In the back of Roma Italian Deli & Restaurant, at a small table near the kitchen, one can usually find the restaurant's tall, slender owner chatting with regulars.

Massimo Biuso took ownership of the restaurant at 5755 Spring Mountain Road this year after working as manager for 10 years.

This is the longest Biuso has stayed in one place since leaving his hometown of Torremaggiore, Italy, at 16.

Biuso joined the Italian navy at 17 and eventually moved to London at 21 with the goal of learning English. With an education in hotel management and years of experience working in his parents' deli as a child, Biuso was able to make a living in London running Italian restaurants and teaching chefs how to cook traditional Italian cuisine.

"I moved to London with $500 in my wallet," he said.

Moving to a new country and not knowing the language can be a daunting task, but Biuso said he was more than happy to take the plunge.

"I've always been outgoing, ever since I was a little kid," he said. "Nothing scares me. I'm always ready for a new adventure."

He moved to Miami in 1986 to work as a head waiter on a cruise ship, managed restaurants in Atlanta and moved to Las Vegas in 1999 after visiting the city on vacation.

Biuso said he is staying put in Las Vegas.

"I've found my place," he said. "Life is about timing, and this has been the right timing."

Pina Ventimiglia manages the restaurant's deli counter, which is filled with a plethora of meats and cheeses imported from Italy.

She said she has worked with Biuso for 10 years, and the staff is like one big family.

"We've been together for so long," she said. "Even Leo (the cook)."

Restaurant manager Monica Stan-Enache, who moved to Las Vegas from Romania, said she enjoys working with Biuso.

"For me, there's no work," she said. "I enjoy my job, and I'm happy to be here."

It is all part of Biuso's management style. He said his restaurant focuses on quality, consistency and value in everything, including the staff.

"My staff is the most important thing," Biuso said. "You have to take care of your people."

His favorite expression, he said, is "practice makes perfect."

"The chef has been cooking the same food for years," he said. "That's why people come back week after week - the food is perfect."

According to Biuso, his restaurant offers the most authentic Italian food in Las Vegas.

"I have people from Italy tell me the food here is better than back there," he said.

Biuso knows just about every customer by name, and the customers know him. He chats with them about their day or their family, about current events or simply how their meal tastes.

"When people know me, I feel better about a place," Biuso said, sitting at his table and gesturing to the dining area filled with his customers. "They feel better, too. It makes a difference."

For more information, call 871-5577.

Contact Southwest/Spring Valley View reporter Nolan Lister at nlister@viewnews.com or 383-0492.