The Godfather

It Started With An Immigrant
And A Passion For Food
The year was 1967. A young Isidoro Balistreri journeyed from his birthplace, a small village just outside of Palermo, Sicily and arrived in San Diego, California. During his childhood in Italy, Isidoro was always surrounded by family members who loved to cook. Mothers, fathers, grandmothers, aunts and uncles sharing family recipes from generations past. It was here in the family kitchen that Isidoro’s passion for Italian cooking took root, and later his desire to study the culinary arts was achieved.

In 1974, Chef Isidoro and his wife Maria launched their Italian concept restaurant in Kearny Mesa, calling it The Godfather because of the men who influenced him to take the leap of faith.

Today, Chef Isidoro and his team continue to pursue new and exciting culinary creations, along with offering his family’s treasured recipes of Northern and Southern Italy.