Del’icious!
The Family:
Joe and Jodi Stanton moved from Chicago to Sevierville with their six children: Daniel, Joey, Jake, Aaron, Faith, and Dave to open Del's Restaurant and Pizzeria-their lifelong dream. "FBI's," or, Full Blood Italians, as Joe jokingly calls his family, he and Jodi are the perfect ingredients to create Del-icious, authentically Italian food!
Joe is originally from New York, and worked for several restaurants for more than 20 years, experimenting with his family's and his own recipes. Their amore for pizza brought Joe to meet Jodi, when Joe delivered pizza to Jodi's apartment. Since money was scarce, Joe used good pizza, flowers, and his kindness to woo Jodi. Together, they always dreamed about their own slice of heaven: having their own restaurant. Joe worked numerous jobs from restaurants to OTR (over-the-road) delivery to support his family, while they prayed for the perfect location to begin the restaurant and for financial help. They tried many avenues for both, but made no headway for four years, until the day when everything fell into place. Tennessee proved to be the perfect spot: it was pretty, affordable, family friendly, and even more, in need of real pizza. So, the Stantons finally saw their dream come true when they opened the doors to their very own restaurant in early 2009.
Joe, Jodi, and their talented staff take pride in using the very finest, freshest ingredients, without any additives or preservatives. They use fresh-canned tomatoes, not from concentrate, the best grades of cheeses and meats, and the best ingredient: love. Joe's passion for cooking and his standard of taste perfection led to a 10-month search for the perfect recipe for dough. When he was finally satisfied, he was honored to find that his customers were just as happy with his results. Native New Yorkers say that Del's pizza is some of the nation's best! Mike, a family friend from New York who works at the restaurant, agrees, and shares his love for authentic Italian food by proudly making delicious meatballs and sausages from scratch every day.
The Project:
The Stantons wanted to bring the warmth of Italy and the feeling of an authentic, New York pizzeria to a very plain commercial space. They wanted to have a cozy, family-oriented atmosphere, appropriate for both lunch and dinner. They wanted the space to make people feel comfortable, and want to stay to chat and return again soon.
The Results:
Building Ideas created a cozy atmosphere by adding dark chocolate wood wainscoting, Venetian plaster wall finishes in earth tones, and red and silver sconce and pendant mood lighting for evening dining. The concrete floors were given a special stain with red and dark brown tones, tying in with the rest of the color scheme. Padded chairs and good music lend themselves to enjoying the atmosphere longer than it takes to eat their food. The space is very casual and comfortable, yet reminiscent of old Italy's classy style. The genuine atmosphere is completed by the sounds of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Cat Stevens, and Billy Joel, bringing the charm of the New York boardwalk in the 50s, 60s and 70s.
Fun Facts:
In only a short time since opening, the Stanton's success has been fantastic. Steady streams of customers come in, and people travel from out of town to enjoy Del's wonderful food. True New Yorkers and Italians agreed that the food at Del's rivals the very best restaurants in New York. One customer even proclaimed that Del's pizza is better than 'Ray's', a famous pizzeria in N.Y.
If you want to see for yourself, here is how to find them:
Del's Italian Family Pizzeria
Owned by Joe and Jodi Stanton
Business phone: 865-933-0900
Hours: Sun-Thur 11a to 10p/Fri.-Sat. 11a to Midnight
Address: 2946 Winfield Dunn Parkway, Suite 10, Sevierville, TN 37876
Designer's Tips:
Give a cozy touch to an open industrial space by using earth tones and mood lighting that's adjustable by dimmers to create just the right atmosphere for day and night.
