As a journalist, I’ve interviewed many people over the years, but I have to say I’ve never met a restaurant owner quite like Roberto Martella.  Until now, that is.

Roberto Martella and his wife Lucia own Grano restaurant — an Italian eatery at Yonge and Eglinton. Most restaurants that I go into do the usual, serve food and drink — but not Grano. Roberto makes sure of that. Since its opening in 1986, it has been a cultural piazza or “salon” where people are encouraged to share and discuss ideas while eating great Italian food.

Roberto was born in Canada but it’s not surprising why he’s so passionate about the Italian culture when he tells me about his father. “My father came to Canada from Italy after the war. He met my mother thanks to Fr Ricardo at St Francis Church who introduced them. My father serenaded her with his mandolin and flowers until she relented,” says Roberto. How romantic!

His father owned a number of barber shops and encouraged his children to embrace the Italian culture and language.

So how did Grano come about? Well, Roberto’s first job was as an aftercare officer at a catholic school and later as a corrections officer at the Vanier Centre for Women. Then he became involved in food and wine importation. He married Lucia in 1985 and opened Grano the following year, starting off small and evolving into the restaurant that it is now.

And so, like his father, Roberto feels it’s important to keep the Italian culture fresh and alive in Toronto and runs Language and Linguine courses, wine maker dinners, and concerts. The restaurant’s motto is “Non si vive di solo pane,” which means, “One does not live by bread alone.” Grano itself means grain - they make their bread there.