Valentine?s to open at Imperial Plaza site

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Former Bass Pro Shops Di-rector of Food Services and Restaurant Operations Joe Sun-seri plans to open a new Italian restaurant in Springfield by the end of April.|ret||ret||tab|

Valentine's, named for his mother who died of cancer in 1993, will be a full-service rest-aurant at 2902 S. Campbell, Ste. B., in the Imprerial Plaza. Sunseri has thought about owning and operating such an establishment for years. There was added motivation to act, however, when he lost his job with Bass Pro Shops in August of last year. |ret||ret||tab|

Bass Pro moved "to scale back their restaurant staff, so they decided they didn't need a director anymore," Sunseri said. In his 3 1/2 years with the company, he traveled extensively, opening Outdoor World locations and handling other matters pertinent to its food service operations. |ret||ret||tab|

Prior to his post with Bass Pro Shops, Sunseri was director of operations for The Crab House, a Florida-based restaurant chain. He also served as vice president of operations for Shooters Water-front Cafe, a Fort Lauderdale-based concern with multiple stores in the United States and abroad. A native of Pittburgh, Pa., Sunseri moved to Springfield in 1998.|ret||ret||tab|

Sunseri will launch Valentine's with the assistance of Tom Wedl, a colleague from Bass Pro, and 55 employees who will handle food delivery, meal preparation and bartending. Wedl will be the restaurant's manager and head chef.|ret||ret||tab|

Both Sunseri and Wedl will draw from a combined 44 years of experience in food service as they prepare the menu for Valentine's. "It's a scratch kitchen. We're bringing everything in fresh," Sunseri said. "We're not going to take anything out of a can. Everything's going to be hand prepared."|ret||ret||tab|

Valentine's has an area of 3,850-square-feet and will accommodate 142 people, Sunseri said. He plans to have a 110-person dining room and a full-service bar with various liquors, wines and beers for sale. The bar will hold 32 people, he said. "That pretty much is going to be my smoking section," he added.|ret||ret||tab|

Artwork by Charles Fazzino will provide visual interest for patrons. Sunseri will hang limited edition, three-dimensional Fazzino serigraphs featuring scenes of New York, Chicago, San Fran-cisco and Texas.|ret||ret||tab|

Sunseri anticipates menu items will range from less than $5 for certain salads to upwards of $17 for filet mignon. Other offerings will include a variety of appetizers and soups, different types of fresh fish, as well as hand-cut steaks and fresh pasta to order, he said.|ret||ret||tab|

"The menu's going go be driven by the daily specials, also," Sunseri said. He sees this undertaking as a hands-on exercise. "I'm not an absent owner. I'm going to be there 16 hours a day. This is what I do, and this is my passion," he added. |ret||ret||tab|

Before his anticipated April opening can occur, however, Sunseri needs a building permit, which he hopes to have this week. |ret||ret||tab|

He has slated Duane Eoff as the contractor for the infill. "(Eoff) has assured me that he will be able to get it done pretty quick," Sunseri said.[[In-content Ad]]