Our Story

Carlo and Jane met in the summer of 2016, while working at St. Amant’s Waterfront Inn located in Britt, Ontario.  There was an immediate chemistry between them, they spent countless hours together that summer talking, laughing, and simply enjoying the pleasure of each others company.  Carlo and Jane quickly fell in love and have been inseparable ever since.

After the two operated and managed St.Amant’s Waterfront Inn for a few season’s they decided it was time for a new adventure and opened a restaurant together in Parry Sound, Ontario which they named, Di Salvo’s Bella Cucina.

Di Salvo’s Bella Cucina opened in May 2019 and was originally located in a renovated, quaint little century home at 2 James St, Parry Sound. It was a small fine dining restaurant with an indoor seating capacity of 28. The welcome they received from the local community and tourists was joyfully overwhelming. The restaurant was an instant success, with many great reviews and return guests.  In March of 2020, less than 1 year of operating, the COVID 19 Pandemic shocked the world with change and uncertainty.  Being shut down for dine-in and only offering take-out presented a significant challenge for a newly established fine dining restaurant in a small community. The perceived value of fine dining is not only quality food but service and atmosphere, people go for the experience. This could have been the end of their dreams unless they came up with the plan to survive the shut down. After some brainstorming they decided to offer “Family Style Meals”. The concept of home-made tray meals catering to families at a value price was a hit!  The weeks and months that followed proved it to be a fortunate decision as customers lined up outside the restaurant to get their takeaway meals to take home to their families.  

The next challenge they faced was what to do once the restrictions were lifted on indoor dining… Their little kitchen could not support the volume of food it was producing even after purchasing an outdoor walk-in cooler and a food truck as a supplementary kitchen facility.  Jane and Carlo wanted to return to their roots in Fine Dining but also had a desire to continue serving the many faithful clientele that loved Family Style Meals.  While the restrictions and lockdowns continued for another year, so did their growth.  They were beyond capacity in their current location and decided to actively look for a bigger space to facilitate their needs. Not long after their search began, a very prominent businessman, Mike Reeves called Carlo and asked him to come by his restaurant for a meeting.  Jane and Carlo went to Wellingtons that evening and Mike Reeves presented an opportunity that would bring their vision alive. The proposal was for us to purchase the building known as Wellington’s Pub. The location was perfect, it had two dining rooms, a large kitchen, a prep kitchen, plenty of storage and room for additional growth. The deal closed quickly and gave birth to the next phase of their company’s growth and is operating as “Di Salvo’s Hospitality Group”. 

The company has expanded from “Di Salvo’s Bella Cucina“ (Fine Dining Restaurant), to include “Di Salvo’s Family Style Meals” (Casual Dining Restaurant), “Curbside Cucina”(Food Truck), and finally “ Classic Catering by Di Salvo’s”.  The catering division being one of the most successful launches with having fulfilled contracts at nearly 30 weddings in 2022 . 

The two have made the warm community of Parry Sound their home and continue to enjoy working side by side on the business that they love. Their professional backgrounds work in synergy to create the success in their business. Carlo’s vast industry experience spans more than 25 years.  He’s been a professional Red Seal Chef for 22 years and has worked at many large hotels and conference centres as well as small fine dining restaurants in big cities and spent part of his career as a culinary professor at two Ontario Colleges. Jane has spent her entire career focused on customer service with more then 25 years as a successful Account Manager for a North American IT infrastructure provider. Jane discovered that she loves working in the hospitality industry and has many transferable skills from her sales career. Together Jane and Carlo support their community through philanthropy and give back when ever they can.  They continually strive to deliver their best so that you may enjoy a great experience whether it be fine dining at Bella Cucina, a casual evening with the fam at Family Style Meals, or having their team cater your special event. This is their story… it’s their love story; and they appreciate all of you for being a part of it.