Constantly Elevating: Chef Vincenzo Betulia on the Naples Food Scene
Constantly Elevating: Chef Vincenzo Betulia on the Naples Food Scene
In 2013, Vincenzo Betulia opened Osteria Tulia with a clear mission: “We opened with the intention of elevating the culinary scene in Naples.” Twelve years—and six concepts—later, he’s still pushing forward, leading by example and helping shape the city’s next chapter through food, mentorship, and consistency.
A Restaurant Group with Roots
When Betulia moved to Naples 25 years ago, he saw a different kind of dining landscape. “There was a lot of dining in strip malls and corporate restaurants,” he says. “So that was the original goal with Osteria Tulia”—a place that prioritized scratch cooking, regional identity, and time-honored craft. “We made it a point to make everything in the house, from cheeses to pastas to dough to absolutely everything, to make people understand that this is a craft.”
His next move came with Bar Tulia, where the bar program led the way. “We spearheaded the craft cocktail culture here in Naples,” he says. “What started as a gastropub organically went the other way, where the drinks became the focal point, and then the food started rotating around it.”
Then came a second Bar Tulia location in Mercato, the tiny Rouge Clandestine Steak House, and a growing catering and events division. “It’s been an interesting ride for the last 14 years,” Betulia says.
A Kitchen-Focused Leader
Betulia calls himself a hands-on chef, and that’s no exaggeration. “I’ve been very fortunate that my team stays with me,” he says. “These people have been with me for years, and they continuously go up the ladder, and I’m proud of that.” One chef at Osteria Tulia has been working with him since the age of 15. Now nearly 40, he’s still part of the core team.
“In all of our restaurants, we promote from within,” he explains. “They understand the culture that we’ve educated.” With 430 employees across multiple concepts, the approach is grounded in consistency, pride, and shared ownership. “We’ve created a hierarchy, and everybody plays their part,” he says. “I rely on everybody else to make sure that they’re steering the ship in the right direction.”
Betulia says it’s about relationships—not just inside the kitchen, but with suppliers too. “There has to be a level of understanding that we’re going to use what’s in season and create relationships with our growers, fishmongers, the people who are getting our product,” he says. “We know traceability because we have a relationship with these people.”
The Guest Is the Final Judge
For Betulia, success isn’t about a one-time visit. “We don’t want a one-time diner, we want people to keep coming back,” he says. Some regulars have been dining with him since Osteria Tulia first opened. “Within three months, guests had already been back enough times to eat their way through the whole menu.”
That loyalty continues across his restaurants. “What I’m proud of is the longevity of my clients coming to me...it’s not like they’re coming once a week. They’re coming two, three, four times a week,” he says. “I’ve got people that come to the bar every day.”
Signature dishes like Bucatini Cacio e Pepe and Umbrian Garganelli Braised Lamb Neck Sugo have stayed thanks to that loyalty. “We don’t create our signature dishes—our regulars do,” he says. The My Michelle Pizza, topped with pepperoni, shishito pepper, house made milk ricotta, fire onion, and local honey, has earned its place through repeat demand, as well.
At the end of the day, Betulia says, “The final judge is the client. If you start with a good raw material, you end with a good raw material.”
From mentoring young chefs to evolving the Naples dining scene, Betulia isn’t slowing down. “It’s called culinary arts for a reason...this is an art form,” he says. “That’s what drives me. I’ll continue to do it until the day I die. I’m sure I’ll die in one of my restaurants.”
For chefs who never stop evolving or elevating, ONLY Paradise will do.