1994Stefano's Trattoria — Aloma
Stefano opens Stefano's Trattoria on Aloma in Central Florida. It begins a restaurant career built around family recipes, hands-on cooking, and regulars who came back for the food.
Our Story · Central Florida Since 1994
It Started In
A Restaurant.
Simply Nonno's wasn't invented as a sauce brand first. It grew out of Stefano's restaurant kitchens and the creamy basil pesto served at Nonno's Italian Restaurant in Altamonte Springs, Florida.
The restaurant history goes back to 1994. The jar idea came decades later, after guests kept asking to take the pesto home. That connection — restaurant first, product second — is the foundation of Simply Nonno's.
1994
1999Il Pescatore
Stefano opens Il Pescatore and continues building his reputation in the Central Florida restaurant community.
Early 2000sStefano's Trattoria Returns
Stefano returns with a 175-seat Stefano's Trattoria. The larger restaurant becomes another chapter in a career built one dining room, one service, and one plate at a time.
2016Nonno's Italian Restaurant
After selling his previous restaurant, Stefano starts again in Altamonte Springs with Nonno's Italian Restaurant. This is the kitchen where the creamy basil pesto behind Simply Nonno's becomes a guest favorite.
2022The Restaurant Pesto Becomes a Jar
Guests had been asking if they could take the pesto home. In 2022, the idea became a real product project: take the restaurant favorite beyond the dining room without losing the identity that made people ask for it.
2023Simply Nonno's Launches
Simply Nonno's officially launches with Creamy Pesto as its first sauce. The brand carries the restaurant story forward in a jar made for home kitchens, retailers, and foodservice partners.
TodayRestaurant-Born. Jar-Raised.
Simply Nonno's is growing from its Central Florida restaurant roots through online orders, retail partners, recipes, and wholesale relationships — with the same pesto story at the center of the brand.
From the Dining Room to Your Kitchen