Appeb
ii
Kyra Gemberling
Print & Online Journalism
Prego’s Trattoria
Serving friends, not customers
After working in the restaurant busi
ness in New York for 21 years, Vincento
Hernandez had finally had enough.
Hernandez, who now owns The Origi
nal Prego’s Trattoria on S. Church St.,
was tired of working for others. He had
worked as a waiter for several years and
as a manager for 10, but Hernandez said
he always knew he wanted to own his
own business and work for himself.
“I really enjoy not having a boss on top
of me,” he said. “I do something when
I want to do it and I don’t have to tell
nobody.”
In his quest for independence, Hernan
dez moved to North Carolina
and opened Prego’s Dec.
22, 2005. He enlisted the
help of his 24-year-old son, Albert.
“He works here and does pretty much
everything,” Hernandez said. “He waits
tables and helps me cook sometimes. He
heips me a lot. He’s my king.”
The combined efforts of the father-son
duo soon turned Prego’s into a success -
the restaurant’s corvina piccata dish was
even voted the No. 1 “must eat” dish in
Alamance County by “Cur State” maga
zine in July 2010.
Hernandez said he values the number
of locals who regularly eat at the restau
rant. For him, service to his customers is
personal.
“I don’t treat customers as customers
- I treat them as friends,” Hernandez said.
“I want people to know me. I want people
to feel comfortable and have a dining ex
perience that’s not just ‘going out to eat.’”
Grandma’s homemade recipes
Although Hernandez was born in
Ecuador to Ecuadorian parents, his
grandmother was an Italian immigrant, so
the entrees on the menu at Prego’s are
all dishes he grew up eating at home with
his family, he said.
“These are Grandma’s recipes,” he
said. “I try to make it as homemade as
possible.”
The Gnocchi alia Sorentina ($12.95)
is about as homemade as it gets, made
from fresh potatoes and pasta topped
with fresh pomodoro sauce and melted
mozzarella cheese. The Ravioli con
Salsa di Noce ($12.95) is also an excel
lent choice, comprised of homemade
spinach and cheese-stuffed ravioli in a
walnut cream sauce.
In addition to these
jhomemade favorites, Her
nandez takes pride in his
eekly specials, which are
Ichosen to reflect a variety
of cuisine from all
over Italy.
ve worked
for different
people from
differ
ent parts
of Italy,”
he said.
“When I
pick my
specials, I
choose dishes
ve been col-