Obituary of Elmo Zaccardelli
When Elmo Zaccardelli was born on May 5, 1933, no one in the small town of Isola di Liri, Italy, would have guessed their newest resident would become an American restaurateur - more likely, given his family’s freight business, he would have been marked as the man who’d make deliveries to restaurants.
Then again, Elmo’s life didn’t follow straight lines. His childhood was rudely interrupted by Nazis commandeering the family’s hilltop homestead for its excellent sightlines to the battle being fought below. But from a young age, Elmo was fearless - he spearheaded a plot with his brothers to carve out the insides of a German officer’s birthday cake being baked in their kitchen so they could enjoy it themselves, and even though it collapsed, he somehow survived. Later, he and his late brothers Adolfo and Romeo navigated tandem tractor trailers not just on mountain switchbacks, but also through treacherous negotiations on the docks of Naples. Again, he emerged unscathed.
After a stint driving tanks in the Italian Army, he could have returned to his hometown family business, but instead took the seemingly audacious step to join the love of his life, Clara (nee Porretta) Zaccardelli, in Hartford, Connecticut. Despite not knowing English, upon arrival in America he immediately became a Teamster, and both he and Clara saved everything they earned from multiple jobs, imagining an eventual triumphant return to their homeland. But in the coming years, he saw that opportunities in America matched his innate drive to succeed, and he chose to raise his family here – what Clara called “the best decision we ever made.”
Continuing his tradition of bold action, he abandoned his secure union job, and in 1969 he and his late friend Santo Benacquista pooled their resources to open the Casa Nova Restaurant in Vernon, Connecticut. Two Italian families running an authentic kitchen in a rural town was a good recipe, and the restaurant was an immediate hit. More ventures followed—diners, catering trucks, the Horseless Carriage Restaurant, 1·2·5 Riverside Drive, and others—each built on the same ingredients: a fearless business instinct backed by an unrelenting work ethic and an uncanny Italian understanding of how to make customers feel like family. And despite his success, Elmo always found time for relaxation, like entire summers spent back in Italy and weekends at his home in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. On his first trip with friends to Venice, Florida, before returning north he bought a condo as a winter retreat for the family. To the surprise of no one, even the laidback beach lifestyle that drew him to Florida couldn’t stifle his entrepreneurial spirit – he soon began dabbling in yet more restaurant and real estate projects, and eventually made Venice his full-time home. Instead of golf or fishing, his hobbies were long walks on Venice Beach and work – he could be seen maintaining his properties or greeting people at Elmo’s Dockside Restaurant well into his late 80s. America had indeed been good to Elmo.
Elmo also had a knack for giving back. His own education having been cut short, he ensured his children and grandchildren had access he lacked, and the names of elite universities now grace their resumes. But education was no end in itself; it was more important to him that people reached whatever potential they were capable of. He also used his force of personality to make sure later generations never grew complacent, and instilled in them his own hard-earned work ethic. Always ready with helpful advice, if you sat at one of Elmo’s tables, you didn’t just get a good meal—you got anecdotes, encouragement, and the occasional lovingly blunt life-course correction, which he doled out to family, friends, employees, customers, and even strangers.
And now, we imagine he is orchestrating God’s own restaurant so that everyone up there can enjoy delicious meals on Heaven’s beach.
Elmo passed away comfortably at home on November 17, 2025. In addition to his wife, Elmo is survived by his sons, Gino and his wife Maryelena Zaccardelli of McLean, Virginia and their children Kira and Alexander; and Roberto and his wife Lisa Zaccardelli of Bolton, Connecticut and their daughters Giuliana and Alessandra; and many nephews and nieces. A special thank you to Odartey Nanka Bruce for his compassionate care of our father and grandfather over the past few years.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 10:30 AM at St. Dunstan Church, 1345 Manchester Road, Glastonbury, Connecticut. Entombment will follow in Holy Cross Cemetery. Friends may call at Mulryan Funeral Home, 725 Hebron Ave., Glastonbury on Friday, December 12, 2025 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, a Memorial Donation in his name can be sent to East Catholic High School, Manchester, Connecticut (https://annual-fund-echsfundfortoday.square.site/).