Giovanna and Roberto Somma opened the doors for Vito Restaurant in November, 1980. Giovanna and Roberto were born and raised in Naples, Italy and come from a history of family owned restaurants. Vito Somma, Roberto’s brother, is also one of the founders and original chef. He graduated from Chef’s school in Naples, Italy in 1964. Vito trained at several restaurants in Northern and Southern Italy before leaving to explore cuisines throughout Europe. In 1975 all three of them decided to move to California. In 1980 an institution was born.
43 years later, it was time for them to retire and make sure Vito was in great hands moving forward.
Jason and Cynthia Reed, Sean and Melissa Ahaus took over the reigns, October, 2023, and have injected some new energy into Vito.
Sean and Jason have been close friends since 1980 which coincidentally is the same year Vito Restaurant was born. Both have had long-term aspirations to own a restaurant together. Once they met Giovanna and Roberto, to discuss this incredible opportunity, it was obvious that Vito was the perfect fit.
Cynthia and Jason spent 11 years in hospitality until pursuing other ventures from 2005 – 2023. Cynthia worked as a cosmetologist and Jason specialized in financial planning and insurance. In 2006 Jason and Cynthia decided to run their own financial and insurance agency. They purchased a struggling agency and turned it into a profit center before selling in 2022 to pursue their dream of owning a restaurant. Their business sense and experience turning around a struggling agency gave them confidence that they would make any restaurant more successful than it has ever been. One year later, they took over with Melissa and Sean.
Melissa and Sean have worked in hospitality for the majority of their professional careers. Sean spent 23 years at the The Palm Restaurant, in West Hollywood, as their Manager, Sommelier & Wine Director before moving on to Mastros in Beverly Hills as their Manager and Wine Director. Most recently he was the Director of Food, Beverage & Wine at the San Gabriel Country Club. Melissa, who is an Artist as well as a restauranteur, assisted Sean @ San Gabriel Country Club while also creating amazing art. Sean is a Sommelier and loves to share his extensive knowledge with our guests. Please ask for a recommendation when you come see us.
Cynthia, Melissa, Sean and Jason are so excited about Vito and the future ahead. Almost 44 years and looking forward to 44 more.
