HOLMES BEACH – Chef Vincenzo “Vinny” Esposito may not be in Italy but that’s not stopping him from reaching out a helping hand to his hometown of Viterbo during the current coronavirus pandemic.
Chef Vinny, owner of Vinny and Cheryl’s Italian Kitchen in Holmes Beach, is helping to raise funds to help the intensive care unit at Belcolle Hospital, located in his Italian hometown. All of the funds raised are being used to purchase necessary medical equipment and supplies to be donated to the hospital as a thank you to all of the medical personnel working to help community members recover from the COVID-19 outbreak.
As of March 29, Chef Vinny had collected and donated over $3,900 to the cause, with much of the funds being donated by his Anna Maria Island customers. The chef said that he will continue to collect donations at his restaurant through the end of April.
The fund also has a GoFundMe page where anyone can donate online. As of April 3, more than 1,600 donors had donated nearly 105,000 euros, about $113,500, surpassing the stated goal of 100,000 euros.
Locally, donors can drop off their donations and pick up a dish or two of Italian favorite foods at Vinny and Cheryl’s Italian Kitchen, 5337 Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach.
