True to his Sicilian roots restaurateur Carmelo Mauro has been giving Texans an authentic taste of the diversity of Italian cuisine for almost twenty nine years in his two highly successful restaurants in Houston and Austin.
Carmelo was born in Taormina, Sicily, and travel was his dream from early childhood. The hotel industry gave him the opportunity when he worked his way up from bellhop to general manager. After his training at the Hotel School in Taormina, Carmelo was accepted for an apprenticeship at the Fankfurter Hoff in Frankfurt, Germany. From there he was sent to the Queens’s Hotel in Leeds, England and then to the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland. His hotel career continued with the Intercontinental Hotels in Europe and Africa, the Southampton Princess in Bermuda, and the Royal Palms and Beach Club in the Cayman Islands.
After working twenty years in restaurants and hotels all over the world, Carmelo moved to Houston in 1978 with his wife Hilary and their eldest daughter Luisa. Shortly afterwards they opened their first Carmelo’s Ristorante on Memorial Drive in Houston and in 1985 expanded to Austin leasing, and eventually purchasing the historic “Old Depot Hotel,” the oldest standing depot in the state of Texas. Both restaurants have been restored over the years and are a continual work in progress.
Carmelo’s business success has been balanced with a rich family life and a very generous community spirit. With the birth of two more daughters, Tara and Liana the family became complete. Carmelo currently serves on the TRA Nomination Committee, the TRA and TRAEF Task Force, and the TRA and TRAEF Metro Task Force. Carmelo’s Ristorante has supported the Texas Department of Agriculture’s “Go Texan Week” since the beginning, funds from which are donated to the Food Banks; Carmelo is now serving as a spokesperson for this event which encourages restaurants to buy and use Texan produce, meat and wines. Since the inception Carmelo has supported Cleverley Stone in raising funds for the Food Bank with her Houston Restaurant Week, this year extending the restaurant’s special menu for this purpose an extra week.
Presently Carmelo is also serving on the Ambassador’s Council for Interfaith CarePartners and from 2002-07 he served on their board. He recently received the Volunteer in Kind award for 2009 from the West Houston Chamber of Commerce and he was their 2009 Education Partnership Award winner. In 2007 Carmelo was the recipient of the Ben Gurion Leadership Award. For the year 2007-08 Carmelo served as President of the Texas Restaurant Association and is a past president of the Houston Restaurant Association. From 2000-06 Carmelo sat on the Advisory Board of the Miller Career and Technology Center in the Katy School District and has recently re-joined them. For three years 2000-03 Carmelo sat on the board of the TRAEF (Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation). Under their auspices Carmelo’s Ristorante pioneered a program, the first of its kind in the nation, opening a restaurant teaching entrepreneurial skills at Del Valle High School, just out side of Austin, in 2001 to give students the tools they need to successfully pursue a career in business. The restaurant serves as a business laboratory accompanied by a three-year curriculum.
Carmelo has been recognized widely through the years in Houston and Austin for his commitment to the community receiving numerous other awards through the years for his community service. In 2001 he was recognized by the National Restaurant Association as their Cornerstone Humanitarian of the Year.
