Cooking and singing up a storm at Little Italy

Ron and Nancy’s Little Italy has new a lunch menu that reflects the owners’ relationship to their customers.  “We listened to our guests. They asked for more soups, more salads, lighter things for lunch,” says Ron Moshier.  “Lots of people want to get in and out, so we have choices for people in a hurry including homemade personal pizzas.”

Between cooking, greeting guests, developing recipes, singing, and handling business aspects of a restaurant, the Moshiers find themselves working up to 100 hours a week.  “Nancy and I work so hard at trying to be a stand-out. We grow our own basil, rosemary and mint.  We really care about our customers.  We do what we can to keep prices down and most people appreciate it.”

Running an Italian Supper (and lunch) Club is a major career change for the couple.  For 18 years, they sang country music and toured as Ron and Nancy on the casino circuit, opening for acts like Chubby Checker and Tammy Wynette.   Nancy, a registered nurse,  is also the author of three cookbooks and she has appeared on nationwide TV, including the Tony Danza cooking show and QVC.

Several generations of Nancy’s family relocated from Minnesota to Weslaco, giving Ron and Nancy the opportunity to visit and sing in Valley venues like Pepe’s on the River. 

“Everything fell together when the  former Arby’s (in Weslaco) came up for sale,” Ron Moshier said, noting that 18 years on the road can be wearing, even doing something you love.   “It hasn’t been easy to take a location that used to be fast food and change it to a supper club.  In Minnesota supper club means better dining and entertainment.  The only reason we have done well and made it through  tough times is that we laugh a lot.  You can laugh or cry, so we choose to laugh.  We love to have fun and our employees appreciate that.  When we are here, 90 percent of the time we’ll get up and entertain our guests.”

With lunch and dinner menus that include an incredible antipasto salad, panini, citrus grilled shrimp, homemade lasagne and eggplant parmigiana, homemade pizzas and breads and Nancy’s award-wining poppy seed dressing (Minnesota State Fair first prize), Little Italy specializes in Italian cuisine.   Nancy Moshier’s grandfather came from Naples. 

“So many people say to me, ‘This must be your grandmother’s recipe,’ but neither of my grandmothers cooked very well,” she admitted.   But Nancy herself was a different story.  A foodie even as a child, she made her first wedding cake when she was 11 years old.  She developed most of the restaurant’s recipes herself, from the salad dressings to the pizzas.

With Sinatra music playing in the background and servers dressed in black circulating between the main dining and the sheltered patio, Little Italy lives up to its motto of Where everyone is family.  “Many people come because of the ambiance and live music, too,” said Nancy, as a server placed black-and-white striped slip covers on the chairs prior to dinner service which features a  more elaborate menu.  “At night, it’s very romantic; the lights are dimmed.  We become more  of an adult venue.   We haven’t found any place else with this atmosphere in the Valley.”  The restaurant is already booking Christmas parties, along with a steady stream of weddings, showers, and group lunch meetings.

The Moshiers said their capable staff has helped Little Italy succeed.  “You always think nobody cares about your business as much as you do. But our manager Josie Rodriguez is on top of everything all the time,” Nancy Moshier said.

The Moshiers spent a week in August singing in a South Dakota casino that begged them to perform again.   “It  was a nice change, but it reminded us that we don’t miss traveling anymore.”  And they perform regularly at Little Italy, to the delight of a crowd that’s already smiling because of the delicious meal in front of them.

“Thanks yous make all the hard work a little easier,” said Ron Moshier.