A microcosm within Los Gatos, Redwood Estates boasts a post office, a bodega and a restaurant named Nonno’s.
The curator of that dining experience for the last 30 years has been Ralph DiTullio.
Though it was named after his wife’s grandfather, DiTullio explains that the restaurant was “an homage to my grandfather because he taught me how to cook and garden, my two favorite things.
“If it grows, I’ll grow it: fruit, vegetables—and some of it makes it into the restaurant, too,” he says. “Connected to our lot we grow lemons, limes and oranges—and even some herbs. We even used to grow a lot of our own tomatoes.”
DiTullio delves into what made the place such a success.
“The tri-tip is our best-selling sandwich,” he says. “The Italian sub does really well, as a close second. Our best-selling pizza is pepperoni, but also the combo, Hawaiian and margarita. Roma tomato, artichoke hearts, fresh basil, pine nuts and garlic makes the Mediterranean. That’s it. I hate to say it, but I learned it from my dad. I like to entertain people. I know people love the food, but it’s the package deal.”
“Nonno’s started in 1986 on Pollard Road, strictly as a take-and-bake for pizzas,” he says, before ending up in the Redwood Estates location. But DiTullio’s time in the service industry began much earlier, starting at the London Oyster in 1970 when he was a junior at Los Gatos High School.
“About 15 years after being established in Redwood Estates, one of my regulars who worked at Apple came and said he liked the wood-fired oven at their headquarters so much that he asked me to look for one,” he says. DiTullio found someone to build the oven, and the client paid for it. “He didn’t want to affect my cash flow,” DiTullio recalls, so “it took a couple of years to pay off.”
DiTullio’s opening of the pizza parlor turned out to be about much more than just business. Rather, it was a story of community—and how what you give out comes back to you, tenfold.
As he leaves the business behind, DiTullio says, “It’s really hard to put what this place meant to me into words. Though, what I tell everyone is that this place was my mission of love. I never made much money here, but it was never my intention. I am leaving here with very little cash in my pocket. But the memories I have with people for the last 30 years are what I will leave here with.”
So, why’s he selling? In recent years, he became embroiled in a paperwork battle with Santa Clara County over the Nonno’s liquor license. But that’s not the only reason.
“Because I’m 73,” DiTullio laughs. “In order to work here, I have to work six days a week, 12 hours a day, and three hours on my day off. I’ve had two vacations in 30 years. I owe my family a little bit of me.”
DiTullio adds, “I want to say to all our loyal customers for the last 30 years, this: Thank you from the bottom of my heart. But, always remember it wasn’t just me. It was all of us that built the community.”
DiTullio has already been thinking about what comes next.
“I am going to go back to gardening full-time,” he says…and “maybe make a little bit of wine.”
As we finish chatting, Mike Lehrman—the new co-owner, along with his wife, Victoria—walks in and takes a seat. The restaurant already has a new website—and a new name: Pizzeria Vittoria.
“We have lived in Los Gatos for eight years—right here in the mountains, and we heard through the grapevine that they were selling,” Lehrman says. “We had come and talked to Ralph a year and a half ago, but we realized it was a bigger project at the time to undertake. But, things have changed.”
Lehrman has hotel management experience with the Fairmont and Hyatt Place in San Jose.
“Then, I opened six new Marriott Hotels in Silicon Valley,” he says. “We had one other project that didn’t work out, which led me here. Ralph told us he wanted someone who was going to keep it as a restaurant, as well as someone who had experience in the business—who recognized how much work lay ahead. It’s not for the faint of heart.”
Lehrman says he doesn’t want to let Nonno’s customers down. He knows he has big shoes to fill.
“We want to invest in the building and the land: fresh menu updates, new flooring, new paint,” he says. “We would like to retire in this community in the mountains. We will begin coffee service here starting in the spring, planning to open at 7am, sort of as a test run.”
The idea is to create “a place for people to gather and entertain in the morning that doesn’t exist as of now,” Lehrman says. “We want you to feel at home here.”
Pizzeria Vittoria, 21433 Broadway Rd, Los Gatos. 408.353,5633. Open Tue-Thu 11am–8pm, Fri-Sat 11am–9pm. pizzeriavittoria.com
