Ciao tutti!

      We would like to introduce ourselves to you.  We are the new owners of Forno Vecchio Restaurant, located at 680 Main Street. We are Jana and Brett Halle, Nicole and Joanne Skillings.  We have lived in Pleasanton for over 40 years. Jana and Joanne worked together while attending Amador High School at Bellina’s Restaurant in Pleasanton. Mateo Passoto sold Amarone Cucina Italiana  to us in September and moved his family back to Verona, Italy. We chose the name Forno Vecchio since its Italian translation means old oven (or old bakery).  As you may know, the restaurant is in the precise location of Main Street’s original bakery.

      Our menu features the cuisine of various regions of Italy and Italian-American favorites.  Our executive chef is Nicole Skillings.  A Pleasanton native, Nicole developed her love for cooking helping her mother and nana in the kitchen. Her passion and drive led her to the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. After graduating she traveled to Italy to study traditional dishes and desserts at the source, The Italian Culinary Institute. Despite the allure of becoming a European chef, she returned to the East Bay to begin her career.  Her experience consists of positions at Blackhawk Grille,  Garibaldi’s in Oakland, as well as their Presidio location in San Francisco, and Google in Mountain View.

       As executive chef of Forno Vecchio, Nicole has enlivened the menu and wine list with her personal touch, introducing a unique spin on popular entrees, alongside traditional Italian favorites. As a trained pastry chef, all desserts at Forno Vecchio are house made, enchanting delicacies.

     Nicole’s scrumptious creations have earned  the Best Dessert award in a Bon Appetit sponsored event presented by Pleasanton Partners in Education, also taking first place in the savory category and second place in the sweet category in the 2010 Fall Fest Sweet and Savory Competition sponsored by the Pleasanton Downtown Association. 

       The desire of the Forno Vecchio family is to share our love of good food and wine and the happiness it brings to others. We invite you to “Sentite l'amore!”