Vincenza Carrieri-Russo

Vincenza’s life, however, is not all about glitz, celebrity and crowns, although she is the “queen of the kitchen” at her new restaurant, the Vincenza & Margherita Italian-American Bistro! The restaurant, which opened in 2014, is the brainchild of Vincenza and younger sister Margherita, 3rd generation restaurateurs. In just a little over two years, the V&M Bistro has garnered hundreds of glowing reviews and was selected for impressive recognition including Best of Delaware 2015 Editor’s Choice for Best Italian Cuisine, Best of Delaware 2016 Best Specialty Cocktails in Upper Delaware, Best of Delaware 2017 Best Homemade Pasta, Best Cocktail for the North DelaWhere Happening List 2015, 2016, 2017, Finalist in the Readers’ Choice Award 2015 for Best Italian Restaurant, and Best of Delaware on the 2017 North Delaware Happening List.

Inside, the chic atmosphere is equal to any New York or Los Angeles hot spot. The bar is staffed with expert mixologists who create award-winning combinations like the Caramel Apple Martini or the famous Limoncello Ice Martini served with in-house made Italian lemon ice and fresh limoncello. And, V&M’s ever changing menu contains everything from delicious pasta handcrafted on site, to freshly baked bread, plus creative takes on classic favorites like Eggplant Parmigiano with Gnocchi, Timballo, and Linguini Frutti Di Mare, as well as exclusive V&M Pizzettes.

In her spare time, Vincenza works tirelessly at Success Won’t Wait, the literacy organization she co-founded in 2002, when she was just an 18-year-old high school senior. Over the past 15 years, she has been active in promoting literacy and has helped collect and redistribute well over 1 million books to communities, schools and organizations in need throughout the US and abroad.