This October, Marino Ristorante on Melrose celebrates its 40th anniversary. The restaurant was opened in 1983 by Naples-born Ciro (also known as Mario) and wife Maria Marino, who had been restaurateurs since the 1960s. Marino quickly became a hot spot for locals, Hollywood and political elite and anyone looking for authentic Italian food served with grace and unpretentious style.

Marino’s sons, Sal and Mario, were 16 and 17 respectively when the restaurant opened and they were dubbed “the bumbling bus boys” by Rose Dosti, a Los Angeles Times food writer. “We moved up the ladder fast. We had connections,” said Sal Marino when we spoke recently. Laughing, his brother chimed in, “We were the ones who were treated the hardest, actually.”