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The Oakville Beaver, W e d n e sd a y D e c e m b e r 10, 2003 - D7 Downtown restaurant is a `labour of love' (Continued from page D8) NEED ANY HELP?: C onstruction w orkers at Oakville Place received a little sea sonal cheer from a fam iliar character. S anta was spotted lending a hand by Oakville Beaver pho to g rap h er Barrie Erskine. The mall is undergoing a m ulti million dollar renova tion project, which includes both floors being extended south tow ard the Q EW to include a spacious new food court and im proved retail space. Though Fronteddu attended college for accounting, he soon found it wasn't for him. After living back in Vancouver for a year where he worked at La Rustica Restaurant, Fronteddu headed back to Ontario and worked at a string of restaurants including M ississauga's Apricots Restaurant. Toronto's China Blues and Gypsies, and then he was hired at Trattoria Timone By the time Fronteddu arrived in Oakville, he had done just about every job in the restaurant business and had apprenticed as a chef specializing in international cuisine. He was hired at Trattoria Timone as the head chef. 'T v e been here ever since 1992." said Fronteddu ensconced, if briefly, at a table in his restaurant whose ambiance includes a starry night sky ceiling, a cozy bar comer, the rich scent of wood and numerous window seats that over look downtown Oakville's busy side walks. Fronteddu admitted that it was with some trepidation that he approached his good friend who had owned Trattoria Timone with the proposition of buying the restaurant last February. "1 put a bug in his ear." said Fronteddu and. by late spring, a deal was being cooked up. His wife. Anna, a native of Krakow. Poland, who is a civil engineer by trade but whose great grandfather was a chef and restaurateur, is the restaurant host ess and isn't afraid to help in the kitchen. It was in the Trattoria Timone kitchen that the Fronteddus. whose chil dren are Kasia. 15. Saydie, 14, and Lucy. 9, met, so Fronteddu admits the restaurant holds lots of special meaning for him. Closed on Sundays, it's that day that's earmarked as a family day. but the rest of the week is consumed by the business. With Anna taking care of the book keeping. Fronteddu takes care of the kitchen and purchasing. It takes most of his time. Trattoria Timone is open Monday to Saturday for dinner from 5-9:30 p.m. It's open for lunch Tuesday to Saturday from noon-2:30 p.m. Yet Fronteddu is at the restaurant bright and early each morning and is there until late in the evening each night. "If you know nothing about the restaurant business, don't get into it." said Fronteddu. noting you must give up nights, weekends and even summer time vacations and most special occa sions. "It's a labour o f love." said Fronteddu who believes the key to his restaurant's success is the quality o f his food. "Everything is fresh." he said of the meats, fish, poultry and vegetables that arrive daily. "Nothing is frozen for a month," he said. That same dedication to freshness sees Fronteddu prepare every thing from scratch, on the premises, from soups and sauces to desserts, not to mention the entree fare. He uses no artificial flavouring, no powder bases, no preservatives. He's also very open to tailoring each meal to each custom er's needs or special requests. "It's a lot of hard work, but I have this idea that each customer who walks in. I must make sure they get the best meal, whether they come in at the beginning or the end of the night." said Fronteddu. adding, he simply thinks of how he would like to be treated at a restaurant. Fronteddu said he first discovered that he had a way with food when he was working at a restaurant and other kitchen staff called in sick. "I prepared 110 dinners by myself that night," he recalled, explaining the owner called him the next day to praise him. "I just thought 1 was doing my job," he said. "I love to be able to take something that's just nothing really and tum it into a really nice dish, something that people are just blown away by," he said. Fronteddu is happy about his new position in life and downtown Oakville. "The quality o f the restaurants downtown Oakville is getting better and better ... comparable to any restaurant in downtown Toronto. There are a lot of good, serious, professional people oper ating restaurants here." he said. That's his philosophy and the fact that he offers consistent meals that peo ple can count on as being good, is what he believes keeps bringing business people, locals and those from Toronto and even as far away as Chicago, back to Trattoria Timone. Call 905-842-2906 and it's advisable to make reservations for weekend din ing. HANDYMAN/RENOVATIONS REN O V A TIO N S HOME IMPROVEMENT HOME IMPROVEMENT HANDYMAN · Specializing ^ in home V renovations 6/m & repairs · Laminate ' Flooring FREE ESTIMATES > R E N O 'S B Y MICHAEL THE RBM GROUP. Wallpaper/ fa iL \ finish/ general painting Interior renovations/ basem ent/ baths G ra n d H aven CONSTRUCTION INC. · Additions and Renovations · Complete Design Build O a k v ille (Cell) 4 1 6 -9 9 6 -1 3 7 0 V A N D EN noort HOME IMPROVEMENTS 1240 Speers Road, Unit #3, Oakville · Bathrooms * Kitchens · Hardwood Floor Installing · Rec. 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