There are blessings and there are curses…
As we near July 14th, our 1 year anniversary here at VAI’s
we feel very blessed to have ended ‘the curse of 916 S. Route 59’
Too soon you say??!! We sure feel at home here and we think we’re gonna stick around.
Thank You..
For welcoming us to your town, for spending time with us, for taking a chance and stopping in with us, for sharing this very special year with us, and for sharing us with your friends and family.
We had a show we invited you to.
This doesn’t work if we don’t strive to, and succeed more than not in showing up well, and it doesn’t work if you don’t take a chance. We’re here to continue showing up for you and getting better and better with each year that passes. It’s a promise to you because it’s a maxim for us. There is nothing more satisfying than an ‘everyone wins’ scenario.
A phrase we use in our family often is “Onwards & Upwards”
Everything about the Vai family and team can be distilled down to this phrase. We grow through challenge and inspiration, and we learn together so we can bring you something special because it’s who we are to do so. There are plenty of artists making great food at every level of price, style, and presentation. We’ve known for a long time where and how we fit. You can summarize the Vai style as everyday food, done well, and evolved to balance traditional with its next iteration. You can trace many of our plates back to something that’s been around for a long time. We love traditional Italian as much as we love drawing out new highlights in it. That moment when we collaborate on a plate and it hits just the right note, can be described as an ecstatic moment for us all… and bringing it to you is a lot like watching someone open a gift you’re so excited to give. We love that moment and search for ways to bring it to you continually.
Thank you for eating with us.. for allowing us to share who we are with you.
That’s the simplest, best expression of our genuine gratitude for each of you we have the privilege of sharing our craft with.
No thank you letter is complete without honoring an incredible staff.
And we mean that to the core. Our staff is continually placed into a pressure cooker of high-expectation. There are always days early on, in any venture, that nothing seems to go right, everyone is moving in a different direction and team cohesiveness has yet to take form. It’s exactly as exciting as it is challenging for everyone involved. Ironing out every kink, asking everyone to be on the same page, all while looking for relative levels of perfection takes time and very patient, good people. We’re lucky to have found many good people and this operation doesn’t exist without them. Thank you so much to our staff who’ve grown with us this past year and helped us form an amazing team.
Thank you to everyone who helped us break the curse of 916 with great food and great people. We’re here to stay.
Onwards & Upwards
Michael, Anthony, Nick, Sandy, Scotty