Amore by Andrea debuts on Longboat Key

Award-Winning Chef Andrea Bozzolo and respected businessman Howard Rooks are happy to announce the grand-opening of Amore by Andrea, a restaurant and event space that features contemporary Italian cuisine. Amore officially opens to the public on Thursday November 13, at 5:00 p.m. Amore by Andrea is located at is located at 555 Bay Isles Parkway, just off Gulf of Mexico Drive, tucked behind the Publix mall.

The restaurant is situated in the lavish space that was once the Plaza. Completely renovated and elegantly reconfigured to offer both indoor dining and al fresco enjoyment in the Palm Garden, Amore by Andrea also features event space (7,000 square feet inside), a glamorous bar for light bites, Happy Hour and live entertainment. Whether you’re dining out with friends and family or looking for the ideal place to host a grand social event, Amore by Andrea is the place.

At the heart of the dining experience at Amore by Andrea, is the award-winning cuisine of Chef Andrea Bozzolo, the founding chef of Divino and the chef- owner of Andrea’s The Art of Food & Wine, which is on Siesta Drive in Sarasota. Italian contemporary cuisine is what the chef is known for and that will be the culinary focus at Amore by Andrea on Longboat Key. Chef Andrea makes his own breads and pastas daily and uses organic local produce, seafood and meats whenever possible. An artisan collection of imported Italian cheeses will be proudly served and a lighter menu at the bar. His menus follow the seasons and generally change every three months, although he retains several house specialties. Chef Andrea is passionate about wines at Amore by Andrea promises to be an extraordinary collection of European bottles.

Andrea Bozzolo was born in Pallanza in Piedmont, Italy. His passion for food dates to childhood days spent at his grandparents’ farm. He studied at the highly regarded hotel school in Stresa, Italy, and worked in Europe before moving to Siesta Key in 2003 after vacationing on the barrier island the year before. With his small signature restaurant in Sarasota firmly established and thriving, Chef Andrea Bozzolo now brings his unique culinary creativity, expertise and passion for the art of food and wine to a larger venue and that place is Amore by Andrea. But to be sure, it’s business as usual at Andreas, the Art of Food and Wine at Andrea’s The Art of Food & Wine on Siesta Drive Sarasota. Both of these chef -driven kitchens will be run personally by executive chef Andrea. “I have been driving back and forth for months now and I know that I can do it in 18 minutes on a good day and I still make the homemade pasta and breads in both kitchens. I just get up many hours before you do,” reveals Chef Andrea.

Businessman Howard Rooks has been vacationing in the Sarasota area since 1970, but it was not until he sold his real estate brokerage and development companies in Alexandria, Virginia in 1998 that he moved to Sarasota as a permanent resident and bought a home on Lido Shores. He has owned restaurants in both Southwest Florida and Virginia.

“I was considering another restaurant venture and Chef Andrea was recommended to me as a man of unique talent and great vision,” said Rooks. “Andrea wanted to expand his culinary reach and I already owned a beautiful building on Longboat Key that had originally been built as a fine-dining restaurant and event space. Our visions and our individual skills and expertise complemented one another and pretty soon a partnership was born. We are now ready and so excited about the opening. Amore by Andrea is going to change the dining and entertaining scene on Longboat Key.”

Amore by Andrea is located at 555 Bay Isles Parkway, just off Gulf of Mexico Drive, tucked behind the Publix mall, just minutes from Downtown Sarasota and Lido Key. Reservations for the dining room suggested. Please phone 941- 383- 1111and see our Web site at: www.amorerestaurantlbk.com. Hours are Monday-Saturday: 5pm-10:30pm and Sunday: 5pm-10pm

Buon appetito.