A family already synonymous with Italian food in St. Louis is starting a new chapter in Chesterfield. Mother-and-son duo Lia and Tony Buzzetta plan to open Buzzetta’s Italian Café (120 Chesterfield Valley Drive) in June. Here’s what to know before you go.
The Menu
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Lia’s signature Italian dishes include chicken, veal, lasagna, and pastas. These tried-and-true favorites will share menu space with items that lean more toward the simple preparations of Palermo, where she remembers her family going shopping every day and never using frozen ingredients.
Customers will see an emphasis on quality and freshness in every dish, from the olive oil to the herbs and especially the fish, which Lia plans to purchase daily. She’s creating new items too, such as a pasta dish with pappardelle and peppers. Asked for details, she laughs: “I don’t want to give too much away.”
Likewise, Tony has a surprise up his sleeve on the dessert menu: a version of one of the flambés that his father, Benedetto, created during his 45-year culinary career. “It will have amaretto, Frangelica, and vanilla ice cream,” Tony says, “but I can’t give the rest away. You’ll have to come in to experience it.”
The Atmosphere
The extended Manno family has a reputation for providing upscale experiences at its restaurants, including Filippo’s Italian Kitchen & Bar, which closed in 2021 and where the new 150-seat restaurant will be located. Buzzetta’s expands on the Filippo’s space and includes a newly designed main dining room, a private dining room, and a bar area.
Buzzetta’s will also host live music. “We wanted to be back in Chesterfield and cook with love for our customers,” Lia says. “We feel like it’s a good time for us to be here again.”
The Team
The Buzzettas—including Lia and her husband, as well as their sons Tony and Paul—are one branch of the famed Manno family of restaurateurs, the force behind legendary establishments such as Paul Manno’s, John Mineo’s, and Il Bel Lago. Longtime local fans of Italian food will also remember the Buzzettas’ previous restaurants, including Benedetto’s in Frontenac and Limoncello in Clayton. Lia’s son Paul owns Sapore in Kirkwood, and the Buzzettas had a hand in opening Benedetto’s on Main in Wildwood, where Lia and Tony were executive chef and manager, respectively.
“At the holidays, we get together in [one of our relative’s] finished basement,” Lia Buzzetta says. “Everyone brings their own food, and there’s lots of loud talking in Italian. It may sound like we’re mad at each other, but we’re just loud. When we close the restaurants and people ask where they should go to celebrate the holidays, we say, ‘You can come join us in the finished basement!’”
At Buzzetta’s, Lia and Tony will reprise familiar roles. “Tony and I work well together, even in the kitchen” says Lia, who will be executive chef. “He knows what to do and how to treat people everywhere in the restaurant.”
For his part, Tony, who will serve as head of operations, says he is “looking forward to taking care of customers and making sure everyone leaves with a smile on their face.”
