Andre Buonaiuto, a New Yorker known for bringing a taste of Italy to Roswell, left behind his family and friends after experiencing a heart attack as he was getting ready for work on Jan. 14. Described as a large personality and dedicated to his family and his friends, Buonaiuto, 63, was well-known in Roswell for his previous ownership of Pasta Cafe and Cattleman’s Kountry Kitchen. The first Pasta Cafe was opened in 1993 and the Pasta Cafe franchise was transferred to Cattle Baron Corporation in 2008, according to Alexis Buonaiuto, Buonaiuto’s daughter.

According to his obituary, Buonaiuto was born on June 20, 1955 to Andrea and Elizabeth Buonaiuto in Flushing, New York, and leaves behind his wife Yvonne, three daughters and an extended family. Buonaiuto’s funeral rites were Jan. 18 and concluded with interment in Long Island City, New York.