Vecchia, the name of Chef Benard Tamburello’s new tavern-style restaurant in The Preserve subdivision, means “the old world” in Italian.
The word conjures warm memories for Tamburello, who as a boy enjoyed mandatory family Sunday dinners at his great grandmother’s house and a dining table topped with traditional Italian fare. It was one of the happiest times of his life.
“You would’ve thought we were the richest people in the world,” Tamburello says. “Not because we had money, but because we had love.”
Tamburello seeks to create a sense of home at Vecchia, where the chef pays homage to his Italian heritage via authentic recipes and little Frank Sinatra thrown in for good measure.
Tamburello has been on the restaurant scene in metro Birmingham for more than 20 years, making a name for himself at Gus’s Hot Dogs in Inverness, La Dolce Vita in Riverchase, Bellini’s Ristorante & Bar in Greystone and Bernie’s on Main in downtown Columbiana, the latter of which Tamburello currently owns…

To read more about Vecchia, check out the August 2014 issue of Hoover’s Magazine. Find your copy here.