Community Highlights: Meet Giovanna Orsino of Tutti Da Gio Inc

Today we’d like to introduce you to Giovanna Orsino

Hi Giovanna, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Giovanna was born in Patterson NJ to immigrant parents. When she was just one year old her family moved to Baytown TX in search of better opportunities. There her father ended up buying a restaurant named Mamma Franca’s Flying Pizza.

Giovanna spent a large amount of her childhood in her father’s restaurant. This experience would shape her future is ways she would not understand at such a young age.

Tragedy struck when her father unexpectedly passed way when she was only 9 years old. Within a few years her mother moved her and her brother back to Sicily, where she would spend the rest of her childhood and grow up fast.

Eager to begin her own life, she married at the young age of 15 years old, something that was not uncommon in her youth. She started her family having two beautiful daughters and a handsome son.

In order to support her family Giovanna became a cook for the San Francesco Convent in Milazzo, Sicily. There she learned much about the fine art of Sicilian cuisine. There she prepared food for envoys of the pope and began building her reputation as a skilled chef.

Giovanna continued to work at the convent for many years while also working second jobs in the kitchens of many well reputed restaurants around Milazzo, and Messina. While building her reputation as a skilled chef, she began to dream of following in her father’s footsteps and returning to America to open her own restaurant. Eventually her marriage came to an end, and a strong future for her children began to weigh heavy on her soul.

In 2019 a rare opportunity struck when she was contacted by the owners of Sicilia Mia, a new Restaurant in Farmington Utah, to become their chef. In a heart wrenching decision, she accepted the position, leaving her 19-year-old daughter behind in Milazzo, to try to build a legacy for her family. She brought her son, Vincenzo with her to Utah, where he would become a pizza maker.

Within a few months of moving to Utah, Giovanna met a good friend online who lived in Nashville. Her friend helped her navigate the pains of getting utilities established in a new apartment and through this the two became close friends, though they had not met in person.

Six months later, Giovanna met a man there in Utah with whom she thought she could build a relationship with. After telling her friend about this budding relationship, she was thrust into the uncomfortable position of being told by her best friend that he was interested in more than just a friendship and would fly out on her birthday. And so, in early 2020, just before covid hit, Giovanna spent an awkward birthday with her best friend and her boyfriend. Five days later, her relationship with her boyfriend came to an end. Six months later, in the middle of Covid, she would be married to her best friend and would begin moving across the country to Nashville.

There with the help of her new husband, she would begin to realize her dream as they began searching for a place to open a commissary for a food truck they purchased. Since Giovanna is very Jealous of her things, and refuses to share a kitchen with others, she found a small little space that seemed perfect. This space was in Hermitage TN, nestled between a bar and a set of dumpsters.

Construction began on this kitchen which was supposed to just be built to prepare food for the food truck. While getting this kitchen built out, Giovanna decided this kitchen needed a pizza oven. And so, a pizza oven was purchased, shipped and installed in this tiny kitchen.

Deciding that this commissary could be more than just a prep kitchen, she decided it should be open during the evening. Following this plan, Tutti Da Gio opened for business on May 31st, 2022.

Opening day was a sellout. As luck would have it, Tutti Da Gio would sell out of food two more times that opening week. Giovanna, her son and her husband scrambled to figure out how to be restauranters while getting slammed with more business than they ever thought they would get.

So, what ever happened to that food truck? It is still in the back yard, having never been launched.

Tutti Da Gio was quickly growing in reputation around Nashville, attracting customers all the way from Kentucky to Columbia, TN. The Nashville Scene named Tutti Da Gio the best new Italian Restaurant of 2022. In 2023, Yelp ranked Tutti Da Gio 44th in the nation for Pizza. Also in 2023, Yelp ranked Tutti Da Gio as the #1 Restaurant in Nashville. And in 2024 Tutti Da Gio was ranked the 31st best restaurant in the nation by Yelp. This tiny hole in the wall restaurant with only outdoor seating was receiving national acclaim.

Tutti Da Gio was regularly serving between 350-450 people each day during the weekends. It was an intense level of business and Giovanna knew a second, larger location was needed. Hendersonville seemed to fit that bill, a lease was signed, and construction began.

Sept 3rd, 2024, Tutti Da Gio had their grand opening in Hendersonville. Another match made in heaven. And the rest? Well, that is yet to come.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, we struggled with many aspects of building the business. Navigating the maze that is codes in Davidson County without really being able to afford somebody to provide a lot of guidance was one of many challenges. We funded everything ourselves, pulling out loans against 401k, personal loans and taking all of our savings and funneling it into our first restaurant.

It was a beast of a project that seems to be wrought with problems every step of the way. However, the only way to go was forward so we kept pressing on and opened when we were out of money and wondering if we would survive. That first week of selling out of food was a completely unexpected blessing.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Tutti Da Gio Inc?
Tutti Da Gio is an authentic Sicilian restaurant with locations in Hendersonville and Hermitage, Tennessee. Founded by Chef Giovanna Orsino, who hails from Milazzo, Sicily, the restaurant brings traditional Italian flavors to the local community.

The menu features a variety of classic Sicilian dishes, including handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza, and specialties like Arancini (fried rice and ragu balls) and Sicilian Lasagna. Desserts such as Tiramisu and Cannoli filled with sweet ricotta cheese are also popular among patrons.

Tutti Da Gio has received recognition for its authentic cuisine, being named the Best New Italian restaurant in Nashville in 2022 by the Nashville Scene. It was also recognized by yelp as the 31st best restaurant in the nation in 2024.

The restaurant offers a warm and inviting atmosphere, making it a popular destination for both locals and visitors seeking genuine Sicilian dining experiences. Operating hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM, with both dine-in and delivery options available.

Our logo was inspired by Giovanna’s career as a chef in Sicily for 16 years.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Move forward with tenacity. Problems you never expect will come up. Do not quit. Keep moving forward. Look at each problem as an opportunity.

In Sicily we have a saying: “Unni cari, u sceccu si suse.” Translation: Wherever the donkey falls, he stands up.

If you can afford it, find a good general contractor with a good reputation. They can help you navigate the codes and various other problems. Build a strong relationship with your food vendor. For us, we use many now but we started out with US Foods and Mark Gi’Francesco was absolutely invaluable in helping us understand the restaurant business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tuttidagio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tuttidagio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TuttiDaGio/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tutti-da-gio-hendersonville