Adolfo’s Italian Market and Pizzeria opens in Lakewood Ranch’s San Marco Plaza
Adolfo’s Italian Market and Pizzeria seems to be in right place at the right time with the right customer offerings.
It took owner Gary Blake a decade of careful planning and study, along with 10 months of preparation and permitting to open in the Venetian-style San Marco Plaza, 8225 Nature’s Way, Lakewood Ranch.
Blake, 60, has Italian roots on his mother’s side and Adolfo’s is a tribute to his grandfather Adolfo.
“This is an homage to him. I didn’t want that name to go away,” Blake said.
Blake’s great-grandfather, Leopoldo Colantuona left Naples, Italy, in 1890 as a 12-year-old boy and came to the United States without any other family members, settling in Brooklyn, N.Y.
All of the market items at Adolfo’s — the cheeses, olives, wines and more — are imported from Italy.
The bakery items, the fresh loaves of bread and desserts, are produced locally.
Adolfo’s offers authentic Italian
Even though Adolfo’s is new to the market, regulars already know when some of their favorites, such as sfogliatella, a shell-shaped filled Italian pastry, will be available.
“Folks come in about 10:30 a.m. to buy them because they know they are hot and fresh,” said Darcy Brewer, who works the front of the house.
Blake calls Adolfo’s a one-stop shop for anything Italian.
Adds Brewer: “Whether you want a slice of pizza or a parmigiana, we’ve got it all. Everybody who works here is very nice.”
Customers are invited to come in, have a glass of wine, order a pizza or sandwich, and listen to the velvet voice of Frank Sinatra at one of the tables covered in black-and-white tablecloths. Takeout is also offered.
The menu features hand-tossed pizzas, including cheese, white, meat and Margherita, starting at $18. Also offered are cheese pizza by the slice, calzone, stromboli and focaccia.
Hot and cold heroes are also offered, along with a variety of salads, wine by the glass, and a variety of sodas.
Look in the Italian market for deli items, such as assorted salami, Italian ham, hot capicola, mortadella sausage, pancetta (salt-cured pork belly), prosciutto and pepperoni.
A variety of cheeses are offered: provolone, mozzarella, ricotta and more.
Also look for imported pastas, peppers, spices, olive oils, vinegar, sauces, wine, beer and coffee.
In addition to his family’s Italian heritage, Blake traveled extensively during his medical sales career, and during his stops, he would always search out Italian businesses.
“I would go to every little Italian restaurant and bistro,” Blake said, describing how he fined-tuned his plans. “I knew what I wanted.”
Blake was born in New England but grew up in Sarasota and now lives in East Manatee County.
“I want people to be able to enjoy what I enjoyed growing up on the Italian side of my family,” he said.
“Some people come in just to listen to Frank Sinatra. It brings back memories to a lot of people,” he added.
As if to emphasize that Italian heritage, photos of notable Italian-Americans are framed on the walls of Adolfo’s, ranging from Lady Gaga to the great football coach Vince Lombardi and Lakewood Ranch’s own Dick Vitale. Blake invites his customers to see if they can name them all.
Adolfo’s is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and is closed on Sundays. For more information, visit https://www.adolfoslwr.com/ or call 941-388-8701.
