About us

The Violante family immigrated to the United States in 1956. Osvaldo Pistelli and his family immigrated from Ancona, Italy in 1973 to Tallahassee, Florida. Osvaldo, Tita (Violante), Massimo, and Danilo learned the restaurant business for the next five years from the Violante family in Tallahassee, Florida’s Mom and Dad’s Italian Restaurant. Mom & Dad’s Italian Restaurant in Tallahassee has been sold and is no longer affiliated with our family.

In 1977, Osvaldo Pistelli and his family moved to Thomasville, Georgia to open their own restaurant. It was in Thomasville that Massimo met his future wife, Cynthia Fragakis, whose family was Greek and also owned a restaurant. Massimo and Cynthia married on July 4th, 1983 and became partners with Massimo's parents at the Thomasville Mom and Dad's Italian Restaurant. In 1986, two years after the birth of their first son, Giuseppe, Massimo and Cynthia moved to Valdosta, Georgia to open their own restaurant. Vito, their second son was born in 1988.

Since then, Mom and Dad's Italian Restaurant has been serving Lowndes County and the surrounding area. Massimo and Cynthia are both semi-retired but still go to the restaurant daily. Cynthia continues to make desserts from scratch while Massimo assists Giuseppe with book-keeping and ordering. Timmy and Calvin Troupe have been cooking with the Pistelli family for more than thirty years and are part of our extended family!

Giuseppe, the fourth generation general manager of Mom and Dad's Italian Restaurant, is passionate about his work and reputation. He constantly strives to better the dining experience. Outside of the restaurant, Giuseppe is an avid hunter and fisherman like his grandfather, Papou. Vito is currently living in Atlanta, Georgia where he is a computer engineer.

Our restaurant offers an extensive menu for dine-in or take-out. We do have facilities for private parties. There are plenty of good Italian restaurants, but very few combine great food, friendly service, and affordability all in a comfortable family atmosphere. At Mom and Dad's Italian Restaurant, we put them all together, so you can relax and feel right at home. We look forward to serving you in the future.