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Lakewood Ranch resident Tony Podella was a “kid in a candy shop” when he discovered the new Eatalia Market, a specialty Italian market that imports its products, such as meats, wines and cheeses, from Italy.
Podella grew up in North Carolina, but his parents, Peter and Marisa Podella, grew up in Calabria, Italy. He would spend summers there.
“Just the smell and the aroma in the house felt like I was back home visiting Italy and eating at some type of restaurant,” Podella said.
“It's fresh daily — the meatballs, Italian sausage, chicken cutlet, broccoli rabe and garlic,” said Jordan Arcari, who is the owner, operator and chef. “Then you can make your way to the grinders, which are sandwiches. Then we have some desserts and cappuccino and espresso to finish the meal.”
Inspired by both sides of his family who have owned bakeries and delis, Arcari, 33, always knew he wanted to open his own business to share his Italian culture. He grew up in Newington, Connecticut, which he said had a large population of Italian Americans.
“I'd always be in the kitchen with my grandparents, learning how to cook and asking them questions,” he said. “They nicknamed me “21 Questions” because I'd always ask why do you use this? Why do you put this much cheese in? And how do you know how to do this?”
“A lot of the experience of Italian cuisine is learning those things and making it at home and being able to do that with your family and your friends,” Podella said.
“Our parents cook like they're feeding an army,” said Arcari said.
He uses 100% beef tallow instead of seed oils when he deep fries food. He also uses pink Himalayan sea salt instead of iodized table salt. He said the meatballs are homemade using his family's recipe. The chicken cutlets are beaten every morning.
“We take the longer route for everything. We get the bell peppers whole and we slice them ourselves. We saute them ourselves with the broccoli rabe,” Arcari said. “Everything is done in house and we don't cut any corners.”
Podella recommended to Acari to carry an Italian tea, from the Italian brand EstaThè, that he drank in Italy during the summers. He told Arcari that it would “be killer with anything off your menu.”
Podella was “ecstatic” to see not only the peach flavor but the lemon as well when he returned the next time. He also recommended Rio Mare in Olive Oil, which is a brand of tuna with olives and corn in it. He said it is refreshing, especially during the summer months. The Arcaris are looking into it to see if they can get that product in as well.
“If they're local to Lakewood Ranch, and they're going to come in here often and they want us to carry something, we'll absolutely carry it,” said Dane Arcari, Jordan's older brother.
Jordan Arcari moved to Lakewood Ranch two years ago to join Dane Arcari, 35, who moved here in 2018. Dane Arcari also owns a business, Russo’s Restaurant Equipment and Supply, which he has been running since 2021. The supply store is still his main focus, but he helps at Eatalia on weekends and after work with the behind the scenes work and whatever Jordan needs assistance with.
“He's done a lot for himself as far as his other business, and he's always been good with managing, so I learned a lot from him,” Jordan Arcari said. “It's looking up to my older brother, and I wouldn’t want to ask for it any other way.”
“I'll kind of help you along the way, get you up and running, because I've already done it once before,” Dane Arcari said to this brother. “You're going to run it at the end of the day.”
Jordan Arcari signed the lease at Waterside Place in July 2023, and the permits weren’t approved to start construction until a year later. He designed and built the space from the ground up and was there to oversee the construction every day. Due to previous experience working in kitchens and installing equipment in them, he knew exactly what he wanted.
“I think the hardest part of designing kitchens is, does it flow? Does it work?” Jordan Arcari said.
Along with the flow, he wanted to make sure his space was flexible and clean.
“I installed a hot water power washer in the kitchen, which is unheard of in commercial kitchens, but it makes it easier to keep everything clean all the time,” Jordan Arcari said. “I put all of my equipment on wheels.”
On the morning of May 17, 40 people lined up outside of Eatalia Market waiting to witness the ribbon-cutting and grand opening of the business.
“When I walked outside, I was like a deer in the headlights,” Jordan Arcari said. “It was warmer in the front of the market than it was in the kitchen, just because of the body heat of that many people in there at once.”
Since the grand opening, Jordan Arcari said he has heard positive feedback from customers and said he enjoys watching people’s facial expressions when trying his food.
"While I was there I had the chicken cutlet hero and it was amazing," Podella said. "The prosciutto quality was top notch, the chicken cutlet was paper thin as it should be. The bread was so fresh."
“What shows the difference between restaurants is if you're passionate about the product you're putting out, or if you're just doing it to make money and have it be a business,” Jordan Arcari said. “For me, it's my passion.”
