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Chef Tony Ortu was born in Sardinia and grew up in Florence, Italy. His passion for cooking grew from family experience in the Italian way of respecting meals and preparation as tradition and way of life. Tony learned the restaurant business working in his sister Nina Bicci's restaurant in Florence. For Tony, cooking is a true labor of love.
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Moving to the States
Venturing to the U.S. in the early 70s, Tony experienced every aspect of the restaurant business. Beginning at Cafe L'Europe in Sarasota, Florida, he worked his way to North Beach, California, and then to the prestigious Divino Ristorante in New York City's Upper East Side, where Joan and Tony met while she was a "starving artist" (but not for long!) studying at the Arts Students' league and NYU Graduate School. |
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A Destiny in Italian Food
Attracted by the family atmosphere, the couple relocated to the North Shore in 1984, where Joan grew up. By March,1985 they opened their first restaurant, Cafe La Fortuna in Salem,Ma which was a huge hit owing to the fact that it was the first "authentic Italian" restaurant offering gourmet Italian food. There, they were fortunate enough to have Nina Bicci help them get the restaurant up and running. They also opened Chianti Tuscan Grille in Beverly, Ma, a second Cafe Lafortuna in Andover.
Settling in Amesbury to raise their own family, Tony and Joan succeeded in bringing truly fine dining to an area where other restaurants seemed to quickly come and go, leading the way for the explosion of diverse restaurants in downtown Amesbury, MA. Their first restaurant in Amesbury evolved into Wild Bites, which offered superb food prepared with integrity from the heart. The first time you go to Wild Bites you are a customer, after that you are family!
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For more information about hours, reservations, and gift certificates, contact
Wild Bites at (978) 792-5051 or (888) 345-0337 in Amesbury, Massachusetts. |
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