Chef Rocco “Rocky” Scarpino, left, works in the kitchen at Rossini by Chef Rocco. The restaurant’s expanded menu includes seafood, steaks, pasta and Italian desserts.
Steve Lineberry/Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce
While many mom-and-pop restaurants struggle to stay afloat, Chef Rocco “Rocky” Scarpino faced the opposite problem. A little more than two years after opening Rossini by Chef Rocco, the restaurant’s popularity prompted him to find a bigger space.
About 180 people packed the new Rossini by Chef Rocco on Sept. 8 for an official ribbon-cutting ceremony. The restaurant has moved into the former Ruby Tuesday space at Port Charlotte Town Center.
David Budney, Scarpino’s right-hand man who has worked with the chef in the restaurant business for more than 10 years, said the new 4,500-square-foot restaurant has an expanded menu and bar.
“We’re now serving seafood and steak, including octopus, Dover sole from the Netherlands and a 32-ounce charbroiled tomahawk steak,” Budney said.
Snapper, grouper and other fish are served Amalfi Coast-style, and the menu includes a variety of pasta dishes and Italian desserts, including pistachio ricotta cheesecake, limoncello mascarpone cake, spumoni, tiramisu, chocolate truffle cake and cannoli.
The full bar serves liquor and features an expanded wine selection. The previous restaurant, located in a smaller building on the mall property, served only beer and wine.
Rossini by Chef Rocco celebrates its new location at Port Charlotte Town Center with a Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting Sept. 8.
Steve Lineberry/Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce
Rossini by Chef Rocco also plans to offer entertainment ranging from jazz to swing, including crooners performing standards made famous by Frank Sinatra and others.
But Italian cuisine remains at the heart of Scarpino’s success. He has been crafting Amalfi Coast dishes for decades, many based on his family’s recipes.
Scarpino said he began cooking for his family in Italy when he was 12.
“In Italy, kids are taught to make handmade pasta and sauce,” he said.
He named the restaurant Rossini after Gioachino Rossini, the Italian composer born in 1792 who wrote dozens of operas, including “The Barber of Seville.”
Before settling in Southwest Florida, Scarpino earned national recognition after the president of the Culinary Institute of America tried his branzino, a European sea bass dish, and recommended him for a Master Chef award, which he later received from the institute, Budney said.
Scarpino also built a reputation as a chef in Europe, including in Germany, where he opened a restaurant in Grünstadt.
Guests gather at Rossini by Chef Rocco during a Sept. 8 ribbon-cutting celebration for the restaurant’s larger location at Port Charlotte Town Center.
Steve Lineberry/Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce
He came to the U.S. from Salerno, Italy, in 2015 to help his brother at his Bradenton restaurant, not knowing the visit would become permanent.
While his brother was away, the restaurant fell into disrepair, prompting his brother to ask Scarpino to take it over.
Instead of returning to Italy, Scarpino restored Scarpino’s Classic Italian restaurant, which remains in operation.
More ventures followed. Scarpino went on to open two other Bradenton restaurants, Michael’s on 59th and Rocco’s Pizza Pasta Grille. He sold the restaurants before opening Rossini by Chef Rocco in Port Charlotte.
Scarpino said the sales included agreements preventing him from opening another restaurant within a certain distance, generally 15 to 20 miles.
Guests dine at the new Rossini by Chef Rocco at Port Charlotte Town Center. The restaurant moved into the former Ruby Tuesday space after outgrowing its original location on the mall property.
Steve Lineberry/Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce
Looking for a location south of Manatee County, he found a stand-alone building at 18101 Murdock Circle on the Port Charlotte Town Center property.
Scarpino completely renovated the building, but Rossini soon outgrew the relatively small space. That led him to move the restaurant into the larger former Ruby Tuesday location at the mall.
Budney said the restaurant’s success comes down to hard work, long hours and a dedication to food and service.
When Scarpino first arrived in the U.S., the self-described workaholic was working 11 hours a day, Budney said.
Rossini by Chef Rocco is open seven days a week, with food served from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The bar remains open until the last customer leaves.
The restaurant can accommodate 180 guests and also offers patio-style seating outside the restaurant but inside the mall.
