Business Beat: Mama Jo will treat you right at Napoli

By Marijke Rowland
mrowland@modbee.com

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Take a tour of Italy at Turlock's new Villa Napoli Restaurant.

The Italian eatery opened in June and has been serving up authentic Italian cuisine ever since.

Husband-and-wife owners Josephine and Girro Accardo, who emigrated from Naples to America in 1972, run the restaurant like a family dining room.

Manager Shawn Dias said the restaurant specializes in "casual fine dining" with linen tablecloths and napkins and warm welcomes from Josephine Accardo, who is called Mama Jo.

"Mama Jo is very friendly, she gives hugs to everyone," Dias said. "We're very family- oriented. We're small, but we do more."

Girro Accardo has been in the restaurant business for 40 years. The couple moved to Turlock from San Francisco to open Villa Napoli.

The restaurant is on the site of the old Da Piccolo Italian restaurant, 1102 Geer Road. The building has been remodeled and now seats about 40.

Accardo said he serves food from all over Italy, from north in Turin and Milan to south in Tuscany and Naples.

"Italian food has so many specialties, every region has its own specialty," Accardo said. "I took a dish from almost each region."

The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Friday for lunch and 4:30 to 9 p.m. Monday to Sunday for dinner.

For more information, call 667-1800.

Elsewhere around the Business Beat:

The Shangri-La China Bistro, McHenry and Orangeburg avenues, is open.

Dublin-based co-owner Michelle Ho opened the Chinese restaurant in the site of the old Acapulco Mexican Restaurant last week after more than a month of delays.

Its hours are 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is closed Sundays.

For more information, call 529-7968. ...

Come celebrate the belated grand opening of Che'root.

The cigar lounge was reopened in February by owners Gina Rossi and Jeremy Crespo. Now, the pair want to invite the public to a party to celebrate their launch.

The event is from 5:30 p.m. to midnight Thursday at Che'root, 915 10th St. It will include complimentary wine tasting, hors d'oeuvres and an on-site cigar roller.

Admission is free. For more, call 492-9141. ...

And, finally, don't forget to visit the newest Modesto Community Hospice Hope Chest store for its grand opening Friday.

The new free-standing location, 4143 McHenry Ave, will open its doors at 9 a.m. Friday and have special raffles and refreshments throughout the weekend.

The store is the sixth thrift store in the area. It will replace the existing north Modesto Hope Chest in the Wal-Mart center, which will close at the end of the year.

For more information, call 578-6300.

Have an item for Business Beat? Contact Marijke Rowland at The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256, Modesto 95352; 578-2284 or mrowland@modbee.com.