JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – How do you sum up over three decades of success? The answer lies in this Restaurant Report.
Since the 1980s, La Cena Ristorante on Edgewood Avenue South has been serving up French-Italian food to a growing fan base in Jacksonville's Murray Hill neighborhood.
The man behind it all, owner and chef Jerry Moran, boiled down his ingredients to success with News4Jax.
Some might consider La Cena Ristorante a diamond in the rough.
"We don't have a sign, so that tells you something," Moran said.
It's difficult to find. The yellow building with red-brick trim doesn't look like much from the outside.
But inside, the smell of fresh-baked bread, pasta and sauteed scallops more than makes up for its appearance. Just ask the customers.
"Excellent food and he gives great attention to detail," said Calvin Hudson, customer of 30 years.
Betsey Lovett, loyal customer and philanthropist, added, "Oh, I have a good time here every time I come."
Thirty years ago, Moran was just a child with an appetite for success. In 1983, he opened up his first restaurant in Orange Park when he was 28 years old.
"I was was watching some old video from the early '80s," Moran said. "Back then, we had a lot more energy."
With more poise and experience at age 62, Moran and his executive chef, 58-year-old Mike Jablonski, have more than 100 years of culinary experience combined.
The power duo have danced through the kitchen and know constant change is part of the job
But the homemade bread and pasta is still a favorite.
"Making these, you gotta be careful," Moran explained. "You stick your fingers in there and it'll make pasta out of your fingers."
While the kitchen heats up, waitress Vicki Torres gets the evening customers ready, just like she's done every night since 1985.
"I’ve worked for Jerry for more than half of my life," Torres said. "We’ve known each other so long that the world was young."
It's like family at La Cena, but with less members in the kitchen.
"I've been coming her for a long time," Hudson said.
The food has customers hooked. The cozy dining room and dim lighting offer an escape from noisy restaurants.
"Even when it's full and we're busy, everyone's not hooting and hollering," Moran said. "People like that. 'Wow. I can actually talk to my date, talk to my friends and not scream in their ear.'"
At La Cena, every detail, every string of pasta and every plate is served with his personal touch -- the key to decades of success.
And customers never have to wait for a table since the restaurant only takes reservations. La Cena opens promptly at 5 p.m. and stays open as late as its last reservation.