Serving
Grand rapids
since 1976

You are standing on the piazza of centuries old stucco home looking out over the deep blue Mediterranean Sea. The afternoon conversation of the townspeople blends with the clatter of a passing cart and the cackle of scattering chickens. The air is thick with the aroma of prepared meals, fresh fruits, spices and vegetables. The land lies fertile and green. This is Sicily. And this is where our story begins.

Like many Italian family men from small villages, my father, Salvatore Tinervia, wanted more for his wife, my mother Vincenza Tinervia, and his sons, my older brother Giacomo and myself, Giovanni. So, in 1971, the allure of America brought my father’s young family to Detroit where he found work in construction with my uncle Giuseppe. My mother worked as a seamstress. They worked hard and saved until, in 1976, we moved to Grand Rapids.

With the money my parents saved, we opened “Salvatore’s Pizza and Italian Restaurant” at 660 Stocking N.W. Our culture and upbringing gave us the talents that make our family’s old world recipes special.

We take pride and careful attention to the quality of our food and with the dedication of our whole family, it has taken Salvatore’s a step up…and in 1986 a few steps over, to the present location, 654 Stocking. And with my family’s addition including my brother’s wife Frances, and their two sons, Salvatore and Gabriel, my wife, Barbara and our son Emmanuel, here is where my family mixes tradition…the old and new.

Now sit back. Savor your meal. Enjoy a beverage and be sure to make a date to come back.