Serritella's is a Local Italian Food Favorite

Just over five years ago, Robert Contreras and Bonnie Prophet were scouting locations to open a business. The husband and wife team initially looked around downtown Sacramento, but Contreras played golf in Carmichael and often drove by the  location.

“Our agent told us it was for sale and it seemed like a good fit,” says Contreras, who runs the kitchen.

Contreras and Prophet have three children and wanted a work schedule that would fit around their family’s lifestyle.

“This restaurant had more of a family atmosphere than what a bar or late night restaurant would have,” says Prophet, who added that it was best to have a job that didn’t require late hours.

The couple is native to the Sacramento area, with Contreras growing up in the restaurant industry and Prophet having plenty of experience as well. They currently live in Rosemont with their three children.

Today, their family members pitch in. The couple's 17 year-old son, Andre, helps with bussing and dishwashing, while Prophet's sister, Jodilee, assists with various duties.

The original Serritella’s opened in 1965 as Red Devil Pizza, which still appears on one of the signs out front.

“One of our pizzas is still called ‘Red Devil Combination’,” says Contreras.

The original restaurant occupied less space than it does today. Over the years it acquired neighboring business space, effectively tripling its original size.

While the current owners aren’t completely sure about the restaurant’s history, they’ve heard plenty of stories. They’ve heard that previous neighboring businesses were a bakery, a bar with a wine and margarita machine, a bicycle shop, and a dry cleaners.

They've also heard stories about the original Red Devil owners, such as how the owner would sing and the employees wore red T-shirts with red devils on them.

As to how Serritella’s got it name, that’s also up for debate.

“It was the name of an aunt, or someone’s maiden name,” says Prophet.

The current menu offers some original recipes as well as some new ones.

“The recipes came with the purchase of the restaurant,” says Contreras. “We tweaked a few of them, but also went back to the original recipes."

One of their pasta sauces, however, is entirely their own, based on customer feedback.

"Our marinara is completely different than the one they had," says Contreras.

They have a large menu and no one item is necessarily more popular than another.

"It seems to rotate,” says Contreras. "One week we'll blow through Chicken Portabella, then it's the Tortellini Gorgonzola."

“We've tried to shave it down,” says Prophet. “We took manicotti off the menu, but I swear, since we've taken it off the menu, we've had more requests for manicotti."

If anything, they’ve added to the menu.

“We had requests for brushcetta for a long time,” says Prophet. “My sister and I, we had bruschetta for breakfast every day until we found the one we were completely sold on. “

They’ve also added a shrimp cocktail to the menu.  And their bread is now accompanied by two mini-crocks: one filled with whipped garlic butter and one with peanut butter.

Sunday is a big veal day and since Friday is a big seafood day, they often run fish specials since it sells so well on Fridays.

“And we’ll see a surge in polenta sales after a ,” says Contreras, because they serve it at the annual event.

“It's creamy and buttery,” says Prophet. “And people are amazed when they give it a try.” It’s also gluten-free because it’s a corn product.

Monday night is Spaghetti night.

“That's a great night,” says Prophet. “It's always got a good vibe in here.”

The special on Monday nights is their regular $11.99 spaghetti dinner for $7.99, with an additional choice of alfredo sauce instead of marinara.

"We were going to close on Mondays because it was kind of a slow day, but there's no way we'll close on Mondays now,” says Prophet. “Even holiday Mondays."

In addition to the event, Seritella's gets involved with the Carmichael community in other ways. They’ve donated sauce to 's annual spaghetti feed and has hosted pre-game "carbo-load" meals for the Del Campo High School football team.

They also participate in various food and wine events and fund raisers, such as the annual Kibbles and Bids, a food and wine show and auction to raise money for Homeward Bound, a rescue organization and sanctuary for Golden Retrievers. 

The Contreras/Prophet partnership has found the restaurant business, while very time-consuming, very rewarding. Their job satisfaction comes from the customer feedback.

“It's nice to hear someone say, ‘We're glad you guys took it over’,” says Contreras. “Sometimes the comments are small, but that's big.”

“And it's nice to hear someone say, ‘Gosh, this seafood linguini is better than anything I've had in the Bay Area’,” says Prophet.

"We get that with our clam chowder all the time,” says Contreras. “They say it's the best they've ever had."

Seritella's is open seven days a week for dinner and Wednesday through Friday for lunch.