09/26/2025
Guests always ask: Are you Italian? I tell them no, I’m Puerto Rican. Then they’ll ask, so why an Italian restaurant?
Growing up, Puerto Rican food was everything in my house — it’s my roots, my comfort, the food I love. But I’ve always had the same love for Italian food.
Now, If we were in Florida or New York, Puerto Rican food would thrive. But here in Utah, not so much lol. Part of the inspiration for Scelto came years ago. Each month I’d spend time in Tucson at my properties and I’d always go to and I would always think, there is a big need for more restaurants like this in Utah. North Italia is such an amazing concept by Sam Fox. What he has built with all of his concepts is incredible.
Utah’s culinary scene has come a long way especially around downtown but we’ve still got work to do outside of that.
As a real estate investor and entrepreneur and as someone who loves to invest locally, I saw the need for more options specifically in the south end of the valley where I live. The choices are slim for a more upscale restaurant without having to drive downtown. So I decided to create SCELTO (Shel-to) I wanted to bring downtown to the suburbs.
Funny enough, in my business plan, I never thought I’d be operating the restaurant… but here I am, real estate broker and investor turned GM. How did that happen? Well that’s a story for another day….
I have absolutely LOVED the restaurant business. It is tough but also incredibly rewarding. It has pushed me to become a better business owner every. single. day.
I have such deep respect for the restaurant industry in general — not just owners and operators, but chefs, line cooks, servers, bartenders, bussers, dishwashers, hosts, and everyone in between.
I am so grateful for all of the people who have helped me along the way. As I look back, sometimes the best chapters are the ones you never saw coming ❤️
Stay tuned… maybe one day I’ll sneak in a pizza with sweet plantains or a mofongo special lol
