Gaetano’s new executive chef is Sal Calo.

For the past five years, Calo’s been satisfying the craving of Italian cuisine lovers at Oliveto, a beloved Italian eatery in Lakewood that Calo owned and operated.  

At Gaetano’s, the restaurant’s menu of classics lets him satisfy his love of time-tested treasure. “Old school Italian cooking, that’s what I love to make,” Calo says. “The authentic dishes I grew up with, made with the freshest ingredients you can get. It’s important to maintain the old traditions.”

Born in Sicily, Calo was raised on homespun fare lovingly prepared by his parents. Those meals were made from scratch with ingredients purchased from neighborhood shops and farmers.

His family moved to New Jersey when he was 11, and as a teenager he began working in restaurants like the ones his relatives ran in Italy. He soon decided a career in the kitchen was his dream gig.

He set out on his own and moved to the Bay Area of California, where he worked his way up through the ranks of the area’s Italian restaurant culture. His last 14 years there, Calo owned and operated a family-style establishment that was a longtime favorite of diehard Italian food lovers.

Today he’s eager to please like-minded diners in his new position. “Gaetano’s fits my style,” Calo adds. “I don’t have to recreate anything here. We make the classics, simple and authentic.”

In addition to perfecting Gaetano’s deep menu of revered, red-white-&-green dishes, Calo and his staff also get to stretch a little bit each night with a pair of nightly specials.
The specials include everything from classic pasta dishes to entrees of fish, lamb and other lean proteins.

Along the way, he’ll pay close attention to the one thing that really showcases the
skills of Italian specialists like Calo: the house tomato sauce.

“Of course, that’s very important,” Calo says. “If you don’t do it right, you’re gonna hear about it from your customers.”

So far the only thing he’s heard is praise. Even from the members of the Smaldone family that opened Gaetano’s years ago.

“A few of them have told me, ‘Sal, the sauce is better than it’s ever been.’ That means a lot. Honoring the old traditions, staying true. That’s what it’s all about.”