By Kayla McGee, Nova Southeastern University

A restaurant is more than just a business. It plays a central role in identifying and expressing different cultures. Italian restaurant and cocktail bar, Vivace, brings the authenticity of Italian cooking to the central Plantation community.

“Vivace was inspired by the birth of our first son, Vito. My wife and I had just moved to Plantation and were expecting our first child, but we signed the lease on the space the day my wife went into labor,” said Vito DiSalvo, chef and owner of Vivace. 

Vivace, which means “lively” in Italian, is also a musical term that reflects the restaurant’s energy and atmosphere. It also reflects the DiSalvo family’s pace of life and makes the experience more authentic. 

“We aim to create an atmosphere that is very welcoming and lively,” said DiSalvo. “We offer live music on occasion, creating a fun energy and dining experience for dine-in and for private events.”

Vivace was always meant to be a family affair. For DiSalvo, food, family, and heritage are inseparable.

“Growing up in an Italian-American household, our heritage was always very important to our family,” said DiSalvo. “Much of our traditions were centered around food. From a very young age, I always had a passion for cooking.”

DiSalvo studied at the Culinary Institute in New York and earned a hospitality degree from Florida International University. After working in Florence at the three-Michelin-starred Enoteca Pinchiorri, he knew he wanted to open his own restaurant.