EYE ON BUSINESS: Restauranteur's passion on menu at Mediterranean-Italian eatery in Lakewood Ranch

Nabil Rezkalla might have gone to school to be an architect, but he lives life to be a restauranteur.

When Riviera Mediterranean Grille opened for business Oct. 3, the Italian-Mediterranean fusion restaurant became his latest foray into the culinary world.

“Always, my passion is the restaurant business,” said Rezkalla, who co-owns the restaurant with Sharie Kelly. “I had this concept in my head all the time.”

In the past, Rezkalla has operated both Italian and Mediterranean restaurants in Florida and Virginia. The two types of cuisine are close to his heart. Rezkalla, who is also one of Riviera Mediterranean’s chefs, is half-Italian and half-Egyptian. He grew up in Egypt and earned a architectural degree in France before moving to the United States in 1999.

While his Virginia restaurants were strictly Italian, he said the Mediterranean element was especially important to add in Florida. Rezkalla said Italian food can be heavier and more carb-centric, while Mediterranean food gives his menu some lighter, healthier options. He said people in East County are more health-conscious.

Thus far, his most popular dishes have been Sicilian shrimp scampi, grouper Francaise, chicken Francaise, gyro platter, filet mignon platter and mixed grill, complete with saffron rice and mixed vegetables. Rezkalla said all his dishes are prepared from scratch.

Rezkalla has been in the restaurant business for about 25 years, but Riviera represents the start of a journey into a new industry for Kelly. Although she grew up around her family’s restaurant in Park Hill, N.Y., a suburb of Syracuse, she never worked at the tavern that was started by her great-grandfather.

“But I love food,” Kelly said. “And I love seeing people happy, eating good, healthy food.”

Kelly and Rezkalla, who both live in Parrish, met about a year ago. Rezkalla was working as a manager at a friend’s restaurant, and Kelly, who has been an interior designer her whole life, was doing kitchen design work. Their backgrounds seemed conducive to starting a restaurant together, and when they found an open unit on State Road 70 in Lakewood Ranch, they decided it was too good a deal to pass up.

“We're both the kind of people that refuse to fail,” Kelly said. “That's why we're working our butts off. … If somebody told me two years ago I would own a restaurant, I would’ve said, ‘You're crazy.’ But I like change. And I like a challenge. And I just like to keep growing and progressing.”

Kelly designed the inside of the restaurant. She is aiming to make the restaurant a place where people can sit, relax and enjoy the atmosphere at their own pace, even when they’re done eating. At night, for example, that means dim lantern lighting and smooth jazz.

Although business has been strong, Rezkalla said opening during the COVID-19 pandemic has come with challenges.

“People still worry about the coronavirus, worry about their health,” Rezkalla said. “We opened in a very difficult time, but thank God we're doing good.”