A Sicilian native, Vincenzo Betulia grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin after his family moved there from Sicily when he was 2 years old. He began his career at age 14 with an after-school job in Paul and Joe Bartolotta’s Ristorante Bartolotta. By age 15, he held a prized spot on the pizza line. He ultimately attained the chef position, became a Bartolotta protégé, and helped open two additional Bartolotta restaurants in Milwaukee. While attending the Kendall Culinary School in Chicago, Chef Vincenzo further honed his skills at Bartolotta’s acclaimed Spiaggia. In Chicago, and later in Milwaukee, he worked with Michael White, a fellow Kendall alum and Bartolotta protégé, acclaimed for New York City restaurants including Marea, Ai Fiori and Osteria Morini. On a vacation in Naples, Florida, Chef Vincenzo fell in love with the area and secured a chef's position at Campiello, a staple in the Naples dining scene. He worked his way up to head chef, a position he held for nine years, before opening his namesake restaurant, Osteria Tulia in January 2013, and Bar Tulia in December 2014.
Chef Vincenzo was the first chef in Naples to host a Friends of James Beard Benefit dinner in April 2015. He won a Best Chefs of America Award in 2013, 2014 and 2015, and was featured in a segment of Emeril’s Florida, which aired on the Food Network and Cooking Channel. USA Today’s 10Best recognized Osteria Tulia as the #1 Italian restaurant in Naples, Florida. Most recently, Chef Vincenzo received a Naples Illustrated Readers’ Choice Award 2015 for “Best New Chef.” Osteria Tulia was also recommended by Forbes Travel Guide, Peter Greenberg, The Fifty Best and Fodor’s; and awarded a Naples Illustrated Readers’ Choice Award 2015 for “Best Restaurant,” Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence 2015, and an Open Table Winner’s Choice Award 2015. In 2013 and 2015, Osteria Tulia received a Golden Spoon Award by Florida Trend magazine, which selects the top restaurants in the state of Florida.
Born in Naples, Italy, Marcello grew up in a classic southern Italian family environment. As a teenager Marcello and his family moved to the Marche region in central Italy and Marcello started to work in a local winery to pay for college while attending law school.
After falling in love with an American exchange student, Marcello moved to Florida and began a new career in the wine business. He received his sommelier certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers and took a position with Winebow Imports, a leading importer of premium Italian wines in the United States. Marcello would spend more than a decade with Winebow and migrated up the corporate ladder to eventually land as their Portfolio Manager for the European wineries directly imported by Winebow.
Marcello enjoys spending time with his family, he has three young children with his wife, Kate. His Sundays are reserved for making fresh pasta with his father for their regular family dinner.