The Mandeville Trailhead will soon enjoy the authentic Italian cuisine of a local restaurant owner – Giovanni “Gio” Vanchere – who was also a high-profile chef in Vegas while operating award-winning restaurants and briefly acting as the catering director at Caesars Palace. Vanchere will be moving his 10-year-old restaurant Gio’s Villa Vancheri to the corner of Woodrow and Lafitte Streets at 690 Lafitte St. in Mandeville.
This well-known Mandeville treasure has been located on the East Causeway Approach next to a Vietnamese
restaurant for over 10 years and has had a steady and loyal clientele, especially considering that getting to the restaurant was sometimes hampered by the road construction that had been an almost 3-year ordeal for people living and working off of Florida St. and Hwy. 190. The new location previously housed the Opal Basil restaurant, which served its last meal April 29th.
The new location of Gio’s Villa Vancheri will open around June 17th. Vanchere is pleased to now own a location, instead of renting one, and he is going to use all of the available square footage to showcase his wares. The bottom level of the new restaurant will features tapas – European-style – and an antipasti bar. Outdoor seating will be available on the second floor and will be the main part of the restaurant serving the authentic Italian dishes that have made Vanchere popular over the last 10 years.
“It’s been very gratifying to have the following of friends we have now and our new location will have more room for them,” he said. “And, it will be my own building.”
