When he was a young boy, Jerry Simonetti often stood mesmerized in the kitchen as his grandmother cooked the meals that she learned to make growing up in Naples, Italy.

And those precious times and authentic Italian recipes inspired him to become a chef and restaurateur. Simonetti, a graduate of Johnson and Whales University, has been in the dining business for almost 20 years and most recently opened a mom-and-pop Italian restaurant in Belmont - Simonetti's Pizza.

"My grandmother was the best cook in the world," Simonetti said. "There was always something on the stove. ... She said, ‘When you grow up you're going to be a chef','" Simonetti said.

And indeed, Simonetti, a New York native, has owned four-and five-star restaurants from his home state to Florida. He moved to North Carolina about a year ago and started searching for a new place and found space in the Main Street Crossing shopping center.

Hours:
11:30 – 9 Monday – Thursday
11:30 – 10 Friday and Saturday
Noon – 7 Sunday

For more information, call Simonetti’s at 704-825-5555.

815 S New Hope Rd
Gastonia, NC 28054-4813  
(704) 864-4446