Our Story

As far back as I can remember, family, food and wine have been a meaningful part of my life.  I love to reminisce about the family meals we shared together.  The massive platters of food, bottles of wine that glistened the dinner table, the laughing, the singing, the crying and the dancing are all memories that I will carry  with me.

Since I was twelve years old, I dreamed of having a restaurant to share with my friends and family.  Today I invite you with open arms to my home.  I can only hope you will create the same memories that I live with every day of my life.  I share with you my family recipes that have been passed down four generations.  I share with you the aromas I grew up smelling as a child.  Most of all, I share with you the love and happiness my family has to offer.  Enjoy the food, indulge in the wine and most importantly, appreciate the person(s) with whom you are eating.  I dedicate this restaurant to my wife Dee Ann and daughter’s Gianna & Isabella, whom have showed me the meaning of life.

-Il Posto Founder Justin Graffigna

After studying abroad in Florence Italy, I learned there is more to eating than consuming.  It's about the time we spend together.  A cheese pizza is just that, but Pizza Margherita with the right company is an experience. 

One experience was in Genoa, when I spoke very little Italian.  The owner of the restaurant took us into his kitchen and started pointing at different seafood and pastas.  We took a leap of faith and told him to bring out whatever.  The meal was one I will never forget, scampi (head and all) in a tomato base was unheard of.  In the U.S. it was always with butter and garlic.

The hospitality of the Italian people is many times unmatched.  Whether it be asking for directions and being taken across the city rather than told where to go, or dinner in my first Trattoria where my parents and I were instructed to call the lady "mama".  We were told the wine would be red, warm and we will like it.  The experiences and culture have shaped me both literally and figuratively into the person I am today.

My wonderful wife, kids and family are always the support I need to do what I love and love what I do.

-Il Posto Founder Arik Housley