Maurizio's Italian Restaurant

MAY 2025

Maurizio’s celebrates 40 years making fresh pasta the way Mama did

By Melissa James, York County Contributor

Nostalgic black-and-white pictures of life in Italy adorn the walls at Maurizio’s Italian Restaurant. But these aren’t stock images. They’re actual family photos—vestiges of owner Maurizio Fiorello’s childhood in Palermo, Sicily, where he helped his mother and grandmother prepare family meals.

For 40 years, Fiorello has fed restaurant patrons with the same recipes he learned from his beloved mama, Gaetana, who taught him how to prepare fresh pasta and sauce.

“I’ve always had a passion for cooking, and some of my most beautiful memories are of my time in the kitchen with her,” he said. While his friends played outside, Fiorello preferred staying home to cook with Mama.

But when he turned 14, the world beckoned. Fiorello followed an older brother—one of his 13 siblings—to the United States in 1968. They settled in the Richmond area, and he began working in the restaurant industry.

“I fell in love with America the minute I stepped off the plane and never looked back,” he said. “There were so many opportunities here in America, and you could be anything you wanted to be.”

For Fiorello, that was a chef. He would later spend a decade working at Anna’s Ristorante in Smithfield before purchasing what was then Sal’s Italian Restaurant in Williamsburg. He rebranded it as Maurizio’s in 1984.

“I always had it in the back of my mind to open my own business, and the opportunity came along to buy and open Maurizio’s” he said. “I am a very lucky man because I was able to put my own touch on this restaurant and have many loyal customers who are still coming to me 40 years later. Now, I also get to meet their children and their children’s children.”

Maurizio’s specializes in authentic Italian pasta dishes, as well as pizza, chicken, veal and seafood. Meals are prepared from scratch using simple ingredients.

“My marinara sauce is made with good olive oil, onions, basil,” Fiorello said. “I let the sauce speak for itself. Everything is cooked to order, never frozen. It’s the simple things done in the kitchen that are the best. Our customers deserve 100 percent when they come out to eat.”

Even after four decades in the business, Fiorello is still learning on the job, whether it’s from his employees or his customers. He takes a hands-on approach when working alongside his staff and still takes personal involvement in every facet of the work, from cooking and cleaning to running the register.

“Some of my employees have been here with me for 25 years,” he said. “I appreciate their feedback, and the feedback from our customers. I want them to tell me how we are doing, how we can improve. I really listen to them and value what they are saying. That is how you become better at what you do.”

Maurizio Fiorello, second from left, with his staff at the restaurant's bar

Maurizio’s is a popular dining destination for tourists and locals alike. Since Fiorello began operating the restaurant, which is near Busch Gardens, patrons have been enjoying the food year-round, not just during the busy summer season.

“We’ve really worked hard to make this a place where people want to visit in the wintertime as well,” he said. “We have tourists from New York who keep coming back and bringing other people with them to check us out. We had one customer who came in every week during the COVID-19 pandemic and bought gift cards to support us. That meant so much to us. He still comes to see us. Our customers have been so amazing.”

Fiorello returns the favor, developing personal relationships with diners— even visiting one recently during a hospital stay.

“When they come here, they are treated like family,” he said. “I enjoy really getting to know them and putting a smile on their face.”

Fiorello is also appreciative of York County for its support through the years.

“York County has been nothing but wonderful and really flexible when it comes to working with them,” Fiorello said. “I am really grateful for them.”

“Maurizio’s has been a beloved part of our community for four decades, and their continued success and expansion is a testament to their dedication to authentic cuisine and outstanding service,” said Kristi Olsen-Hayes, director of York County's Department of Economic & Tourism Development. “Businesses like Maurizio’s are what give York County its unique flavor— literally and figuratively! We’re so proud to celebrate this milestone with them.”

Fiorello also gives back to the community, supporting organizations like the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, as well as local firefighters and first responders. Not only is he grateful for the support from community members, he said, but he also appreciates his family for being by his side as he’s worked tirelessly to make Maurizio’s a success. Fiorello and his wife of more than 30 years, Becky, share two children: Francesco, who helps out at the restaurant, and Adriana, a student at James Madison University.

Fiorello spends his free time at the restaurant, frequently looking for ways to enhance the customer experience. Maurizio’s has repeatedly been named best pizza and best Italian restaurant by readers of Virginia Gazette. The business has expanded twice since opening—taking over an adjacent storefront 15 years ago and another five years later. Fiorello prefers to keep the interior fresh, replacing all of the décor on a regular basis… except the oversize family photographs on the walls. He wants to maintain a reminder of his roots.

“Maurizio’s means everything to me,” Fiorello said. “It has been such a joy to see the business grow right along with me.”