Business Q&A: La Novella Ristorante

There are plenty of Italian restaurants in the East Meadow area, but none more authentic and welcoming than , located on East Meadow Avenue.

Owner Michael Novella came to the United States from Italy on February 26, 1987 and has been serving up delicious cuisine since his arrival in various eateries. Novella enjoys making dishes to fit customers unique tastes. Patch had the chance to talk to him about his career, business and love of restaurants:

Tell us how the La Novella got started.

I was looking around before I opened the place. I wanted to open up one in East Meadow because there was no nice place to use for the location. Everybody knows about the place – service is upscale. I have a lot of table-side serving – like the Cesar salad, which we make from scratch, and desserts.

How did you get into this business?

This is the only thing that I know. I was 16 years old when I started – I love it. I started to work in hotels and from that time I loved the business – to serve the people, talk to the people… When I started to work this job part time I got stuck. I continued and I changed my college major to hotel management to be a chef. Then I came to the United States. The dream came true.

What makes East Meadow a great place to own a business?

East Meadow - beautiful people. I see a lot of improvement to take care of the town, the kids, the parks. It is a beautiful town to live.

What special services does the La Novella offer?

Like I said, we have a lot of table-side dishes. First of all, the ingredients are all fresh daily. The seafood I pick up myself. I like to go myself – from lobster and shrimp to calamari. All of the ingredients are fresh, everything is made by order… that is the way we work over here.

What is your most popular beer or cocktail?

I make a nice Bellini and sangria.

Why do customers keep coming back?

Anybody who works inside is part of my family - everybody I know. 80 percent of the customers – they are my customers steady. They come for birthdays.

What is your favorite part about owning the La Novella?

A restaurant is like having another kid. Without the restaurant I would not be able to live. When you like something and you enjoy it - that is my restaurant. I enjoy it.