The two faces behind some of Huntington’s most popular restaurants.
--
Nino Antuzzi and Kelley Danek, owners of some of Huntington Village’s most popular restaurants, discuss their experiences running their successful businesses, and keeping them afloat through a crippling pandemic.
Nino, 60, and Kelley, 45, have been running several high profile restaurants together in Suffolk County, Long Island since the early 2000’s.
Nino, born in a village in Sardinia Italy, began working in a bar when he was just 13. He would gain minor restaurant experience there, and enrolled at a restaurant school at the age of 16. By the time he was 18, he was asked by the bar owner to become a part-owner, but Nino declined, and went to venture to England and France, developing his talents as a chef. “I decided to travel and learn more about the business and different kinds of cuisine … I knew that one day I’d have my own restaurant if not multiple restaurants… but now I wish I only had one,” Nino said laughing.
Kelley began her tenure in the food business in college as a bus girl, at a fast-paced restaurant by the name of Joanthonys in Southold. She would also get experience with fine dining through working at a restaurant which is now North Fork Table and Inn. When Kelley moved to Huntington, she would start working at Jonathan’s Ristorante on Wall Street, where she would meet Nino who was half-owner. She began as a bartender and server, but was soon asked to help manage the restaurant. “I really enjoyed the environment, and I felt that I fit in there really well,” said Kelley.
After Nino parted ways with Jonathan’s, he and Kelley would become partners, opening Red Restaurant in 2003. From there, they would continue to deliver some of Huntington Village’s best cuisine through locations like Osteria di Nino and Sapsuckers.
“We soon became more than business partners,” chuckled Nino, with he and Kelley now married, owning a house together in Huntington with dogs, cats, chickens and more.
The two haven’t been strangers to adversity since their professional partnership however, in 2014 they watched as Red went up in flames. As this being the first restaurant they created together, this was a tough pill to swallow. “The place was burned to cinder blocks, when you looked up, all you saw was the sky,” said Kelley.
Fortunately, the couple was able to rebound and recreate Red Restaurant to their liking by the end of that year. What they didn’t know was that the same restaurant would be a pivotal part of their business’s survival throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, offering plentiful outdoor seating to those in town.
Around the middle of March, businesses across the U.S. were forced to shut down, putting nearly every restaurant owner in the country in a state of panic. “We didn’t know what we were going to do because we couldn’t sell the business and our last resort would be to close one of the restaurants … I was scared that everything was lost” said Nino.
The transition was certainly a scary one, however the two were thankful to have one another through the uncertainty of the pandemic. “It was beyond important to have the both of us on the same page, tackling different duties to keep up with the new demands.”
While their restaurants transitioned well into a takeout format, they still weren’t making enough compared to what they were prior to the shutdown. Luckily, they were able to qualify for the PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) which helped Nino and Kelley get through the winter.
Throughout their experience, Nino said that he had a particular thought process in mind when serving people during such confusing times. “It was a different way of working, it’s a whole new way of doing things. The goal was to get people in the restaurant without the fear of getting infected, and try to alleviate some of the stress caused by everything.”
In the midst of all of the pandemic-induced chaos, there was a sense of community that was brought about through the town of huntington. “The community really did come together, there were customers that reached out, sent their thoughts to us, asking what they could do, how they could help… bought a bunch of gift certificates to give to family and friends, and in those individual ways it was very heartfelt and it meant a lot.”
To see the zoom interview with Kelley Danek, copy and paste the link in your browser.
