In the years that Alessandro Acquista spent inside his family's Queens trattoria, there was barely a task he didn't do. As a teenager, he'd work alongside his father on the weekends. Later, after studying at the French Culinary Institute and working in other New York City restaurants, he returned to Acquista Trattoria and worked every station and position — from salads to pasta to the grill to the bar — before becoming the restaurant's head chef, which he did for a decade.

Now that Acquista has opened his first restaurant as chef-owner, Sandro's Italian in Manhasset, he's still game for any task, especially during a labor shortage. "I'm bussing tables, I'm expediting. I might host a little bit more one night and another night, be in the kitchen," said Acquista. "I'm doing whatever it takes for people to be happy."