about

Roberto Marotta

For generations, Roberto Marotta’s family lived in Milazzo, a port town on the northeast coast of Sicily that looks out to the Aeolian Islands, a jeweled necklace in the blue Tyrrhenian Sea. Roberto’s love of food, like his gentle smile, was passed down to him here – a gift as much of place as of family.

Seeing his mother prepare food – fresh from the sea and fresh from the land – eventually inspired Roberto to open a restaurant on the water in Milazzo called Mood.

Jacqueline Nicosia, whose family are from Sicily and still have an apartment there, arrived in Milazzo after living in Japan. It was to be a layover, a place for her to decompres and spend time with family in Milazzo before heading back home to Canada.

What did she notice first? The delicious cuisine or the handsome young chef? The truth is that it doesn’t matter. Because there’s no great distance between our love of food and our love for one another.

Two years later, Jacqueline returned home and Roberto arrived a few months later to begin a new life in Canada that included an intensive study of the fresh produce, meats and seafood available here. At the same time, he maintained and expanded his relationships with the finest Sicilian producers.

While Torontonians were familiar with fine Italian food, they were relatively unfamiliar with Sicilian cuisine. As the chef of two start-up restaurants here, Roberto consistently delighted his diners with the delicate flavours of his homeland...

And it was his son, who at two years old, provided the inspiration for its name. Unable to say ‘Leonardo,’ he’d say clearly his name was, “Ardo.”

ARDO Restaurant is a reflection of love and family, and the journey from Milazzo to Toronto. 

– Words by Scott Thornley

Jacqueline Nicosia

Jacqueline’s adoration of the incomparable effects of food, service and hospitality go back as far as she can remember. She adored exploring culinary pockets and discovering new flavours, cultures, and ways of building atmospheres for truly memorable experiences.

That’s why she began traveling the world in her late teens and twenties – to soak up everything her senses could possibly experience. It’s also why she left the comfort of home to spend a year in Japan, traveling Europe and across Asia to discover unique foods and spectacles on her own.

In her mid-twenties, Jacqueline arrived in Milazzo, a small Sicilian portside town that had deep familial roots. After an incredible two year journey traversing and learning all about Sicily’s food culture, she met Chef Roberto Marotta – whom she likes to quip she “imported back to Canada” when they moved to Toronto in 2009.

In the late 2000s, Jacqueline built an impressive career in events, public relations and hospitality. Her focus was always ambiance and experience, which led to her being commissioned by large corporate clients to craft unique experiences for their annual marquee events.

By 2014, Jacqueline and Roberto had decided to open their own restaurant in downtown Toronto. Months of work led to ARDO’s opening in early 2015. The restaurant was a labour of love for both Jacqueline and Roberto – Jacqueline is an expert in the art of attention to the smallest details, from the dining space design to the service and creating alluring cocktail programs and Roberto leading the kitchen to recreate authentic Sicilian flavours with a modern approach.

After launching a specialty import business, Vivi Imports, and welcoming two children to the family, Jacqueline and Roberto followed up the success of ARDO by opening DOVA, a similarly Sicilian restaurant in the heart of Toronto’s Cabbagetown.