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 took a job at a local winery to pay for 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.
Living in Florida his entire life, Daniel McLean grew up in Fort Walton Beach. He spent time in Gainesville and Orlando before relocating to Naples in 2012. Daniel has over 20 years of experience in the industry which includes over 10 years of restaurant management. Before working as a dining room manager, Daniel has held positions as a line cook and sous chef. His passion for wine and sharing his knowledge is what lead him to the front of house in 2018. After spending 14 years with Seasons52, Daniel joined Campagna hospitality in 2022 as General Manager of Bar Tulia Mercato. In his free time, Daniel enjoys watching movies, hiking, fishing, and spending time with his wife and twin boys.
Chef Zach Geerson started in 2009 as a dishwasher at Cru (now closed) located in Bell Tower Shoppes. From there he climbed the ranks under the tutelage of much-loved chef, Harold Balink (of Harold’s in Fort Myers) to become his Sous Chef. In 2012, Geerson moved on to pursue a culinary education at the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, while also working as an assistant chef under Chef Gianni Scappin at the Caterina de Medici restaurant and at Scappin’s restaurant Cucina as a line cook after graduation. Shortly after, Geerson moved to Southern California and helped open and run four dining concepts in Northern Orange County. Upon meeting who he considered a business mentor, Charles Yang, then owner of the Hotel Fullerton, Chef Zach was encouraged and helped with opening two dining concepts of his own; Casual Citizen Kitchen - focused on small plates with a global focus and the renowned Journeyman’s Food + Drink that went on to be considered in “2018 Best New Restaurant in the U.S.” (Gayot.com) and in 2019 was “Restaurant of the Year” in all of Orange County. At the end of 2019, Geerson made the decision to close his restaurants and move back to his hometown with his wife Olivia and pursue new ventures and be close to family. Hosting numerous pop-up fine dining tasting dinners at partner restaurants in Fort Myers (Like his friend’s and Geerson’s personal favorites, Ember Korean Steakhouse on College Pkwy.) Chef Zach has made a name for himself as he continues to embed himself in the SWFL dining scene. Joining the Campagna Hospitality Group as Chef de Cuisine at Bar Tulia Mercato in September 2022, Geerson is “excited to be a part of such a powerhouse team led by acclaimed Chef Vincenzo Betulia and excited to see where this opportunity takes us!”