About Roma

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"Providential" describes how Maria Violante and her husband Donate, now deceased, came to be restaurant owners in Apopka back in 1964.

Having come to the states in 1960 directly from Italy with their family, neither knowing or speaking the English language, a trip from Tallahassee to Sarasota was life altering. Donate & Maria were going to Sarasota to open a restaurant and stopped in Apopka for a cup of coffee at a "Bar-B-Q" place. Donate jokingly asked if the owner would like to sell, and he said yes. The rest is history.

Through the years, the Violantes, resisted the temptation to take short cuts as so many other restaurants have. To this day they continue to use only the freshest ingredients in their recipes. All of their food is made form scratch using their own recipes. They make bread daily in the restaurant as well as their own pastas and desserts. Their lasagna noodles are the thinnest you have ever seen and when they are layered into a pan of lasagna - magnifico!

At the age of 80 Maria has turned over the daily running of the restaurant to Eva, Armando, and Joanna. She is far from retired. Any given morning, you will find her in the restaurant kitchen making pasta, homemade soup, bread, or some other delicious dish. In the evenings she is back at the restaurant working and greeting customers. She makes everyone feel Like family.

For the past five years she has been taking classes to learn the English language. She also finds time to take water exercise classes at the Westmonte pool. Maria would like nothing better than to greet you personally at the restaurant soon.

Thank you, Maria, for what you’ve made possible!