By Tina Tidmore
The first-generation American, Salvatore Bambinelli, is sharing his Naples-style Italian cuisine with many in the Birmingham metropolitan area, including Trussville residents as Oct. 8. That’s when the new Salvatore’s opens next to Cold Stone Creamery on Gadsden Highway.
Anticipation has been growing because the lighted sign has been up for weeks.
Bambinelli already has four other restaurants in other parts of the Birmingham area and two in Atlanta, although the two in Atlanta are named after his last name.
Bambinelli said some of his customers are from Trussville and were asking him to open one of his restaurants here. With two experienced daughters, Sofia and Christina, he saw the opportunity to grow his business.
Bambinelli said they make their own sauces, meatballs and dough. They also have Alfredo sauce dishes and pizza by the slice. They also offer catering. He learned how to cook decades ago when he was 24 and living in New York. When asked if he had changed his recipes for variety, Bambinelli said: “You don’t change things that work
. We don’t do nouvelle cuisine; we do traditional.”
From New York Bambinelli moved to Atlanta and now lives in the Birmingham area, opening restaurants along the way. He has been in Birmingham for 28 years. When asked when he will retire, Bambinelli said, “ASAP.”