Secrets To My Success: Villa Rustica Pizzeria & Trattoria

There’s something very special about Italian food, with so many offerings from: pasta, broccoli rabe, and pizza! Where would New York be without pizza?

When you taste the cuisine, you can feel the love it takes to make each dish. The food brings families together. At Rye Brook’s Villa Rustica Pizzeria and Trattoria, the families not only unite at the tables to dine on incredible food, they also unite behind the scenes to run the business.

Since opening in 2007, brothers Michael and Anthony Muoio have provided Rye Brook with wonderful Italian cuisine at great prices. Co-owner and Rye Brook resident Michael Muoio talked about his restaurant business history, favorite eats, and keeping it all in the family.

How did you get started in the restaurant business?
“My family has been involved in the restaurant business for over 45 years.  My dad had several pizzerias in the Bronx and Mt. Vernon. Our family also owns two pizzerias in Yonkers. So being in the restaurant business is like second nature to me.  

We have been in Rye Brook for about 4 years now. We came up here thinking that we can offer people a nice family establishment in a safe environment.”

What makes Villa Rustica unique?
“All of our food is prepared on a daily basis. All of our sauces are made fresh with no canned products. All of our chicken, produce, and seafood come from local vendors. So we help out with the community as well. We have a family safe environment where you can pull in and be safe.  Our location is great where you can come to the plaza and do one stop shopping.”

What is your most popular item served in the restaurant?
Probably the brick-oven pizzas. For pasta, it’s definitely the penne vodka.  Our most popular chicken dish is the chicken scarpariella with sausage, potatoes, sweet peppers, lemon and garlic in a white wine sauce. Our eggplant rollatine is excellent as well.

What is your secret to success?
There are too many secrets. But making everything fresh daily, having good workers, and staying on top of everybody.  

We strive to make sure we are doing a great job on a consistent basis. Consistency is key.

My brother and I run the restaurant, but we have workers that have been with us for 12 years and my dad has been in it for 45 years.

We took a bit of his recipes and tactics and added our own personal ideas to it. We expanded the menu to include wraps, burgers, salad and more. It’s not just pizza.

How is it working with your family?
“It’s good. I love seeing them here and working together with them.”

What advice would you give to people who are considering opening up a business?
“Have a lot of capital.  Make sure you have good, reliable workers, work on a consistent basis.  If you put out a consistent product you will always have a consistent client base coming back.”

How has the economy affected your business?
It affected us a little bit. There are ups and downs in any business. But, in this economy what we try to do is keep our prices reasonable gainst the competition. Hopefully, this thing turns around soon.