FishHawk Restaurateur Committed to Quality, Community at Formaggio's

He’s a New York City entrepreneur as well as an inventor.

But around these parts, he’s best known as the owner of , 5622 Lithia-Pinecrest Rd., Lithia

Manny Tzilvelis admits that he was a reluctant restaurateur when he took over the FishHawk venue in 2007.

"I didn't set out to own a restaurant," he said.

Born and raised in New York City, Tzilvelis moved his family to FishHawk Ranch in 2002, following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“There was always that fear that something would happen again in New York,” said Tzilvelis, the father of two sons, Michael, 15, and James, 21. “We had a summer home in Boyette Springs and had watched FishHawk Ranch develop. We realized this would be a great community in which to raise kids so we decided to move down here permanently.”

In New York, Tzilvelis owned and operated a multimillion-dollar architectural metal manufacturing business that he’d built from four employees in 1989 to a company with 80 employees and a 65,000-square-foot facility.

“My idea was I’d sell the business in New York once I moved down here,” said Tzilvelis. However, the economic downturn got in the way of his plans. For the past 10 years, Tzilvelis has been commuting from FishHawk Ranch to New York City each week to work at his company.

“My routine is to leave Tampa on Mondays at 6 a.m. and arrive at my office in New York at 9:30 a.m.,” said Tzilvelis. “I work in New York all week and then I’m back in FishHawk by 9:30 a.m. on Friday.”

It was on one of those weekends at home that Tzilvelis became intrigued with the property on the corner of Lithia-Pinecrest and Boyette roads that housed Pizza Haven, FishHawk Real Estate and a nail salon.

“It was rundown but was really quaint,” said Tzilvelis. “I'd always liked this property and, with the growth in the area, I knew I could turn it into something. My background is architectural metal and construction from a decorative standpoint, and I saw a lot of potential in the building.”

So he purchased the property in 2005 and renovated it inside and out. He then partnered with Karen and Bill Robey who opened Formaggio’s restaurant, a full-scale Italian restaurant.

“I intended to just be a landlord,” said Tzilvelis. But when the Robeys could no longer make a go of the business, Tzivelis decided to take it over in 2007.

“It wasn’t part of the plan,” he said. “But I ended up loving it. The best part was meeting all of the people at the restaurant. I have developed best friends there and have people I call mom and dad.”

Tzilvelis had another motive for keeping the restaurant.

“I wanted something to leave my kids,” he said. “I’m trying to create a structure so my sons will have something in the future.”

Admittedly unfamiliar with the restaurant business, Tzilvelis said he erred on the side of quality, giving his customers the best cuts of meat available, homemade sauces and freshly made dough. He even installed an expensive water filtration system so his customers would have the best quality of water he could give them.

“With my personal income coming from New York, I had the advantage of not worrying about the expense,” he said. “I believe you can gauge the quality of a restaurant by asking for a glass of water. If the water doesn’t taste good, it won’t make a good sauce and dough.”

He also put an emphasis on customer and community service. In addition to hiring the best servers he could find, he made a promise to get involved in as many community events as possible.

“Our hearts are in this restaurant and with the community,” said Tzilvelis. “We don’t say ‘no’ when the community asks for our help.”

But it’s the food, not the commitment to the community, that continues to pack Formaggio’s each weekend.

“We want the restaurant to be small and quaint, but sometimes we wish it were larger,” said Tzilvelis. “We love reservations because we don’t have big area for people to wait.”

To save space, Tzilvelis invented the Pizza Butler, a stainless-steel, Z-shaped tray that takes up less room than a traditional pizza platter. He has patented the Pizza Butler and now sells it to restaurants nationally.

“It saves room and creates great ambiance,” he said.

And customers swear by Formaggio’s Pasta Purses, the restaurant’s most popular dish, as well as its pizza made with cheddar cheese instead of the typical mozzarella.

"The Robeys used to have a two-hour wait for their pizza,” said Tzilvelis. “I asked them what made their pizza so popular and they told me it was the cheddar cheese.  As a New Yorker, I was used to only mozzarella but cheddar is a sharper cheese and has less oil than mozzarella. This neighborhood fell in love with our pizza made with quality Wisconsin cheddar.”

To keep up with the demand, Tzilvelis opened Formaggio’s Pizzeria Express in Lithia Crossings shopping center, 3474 Lithia-Pinecrest Rd., Valrico, in January 2011.

He also took Formaggio’s on the road with a food truck that’s on hand at local fairs and festivals.

Between his full-time job and his weekend work at Formaggio’s Tzilvelis admits that life can become hectic.

“But I love the restaurant, the employees and my customers,” he said. “I love being part of this community.”