Bontà Italian Market

bottiglieriThanks to a credit card company, a husband-and-wife team in Lincolnshire is living a dream.

In 1995, Antonella Granito was contacted by her credit card company. She had one month to use her airline points or she was going to lose them. Granito decided to take a two-week trip to Italy to visit her father’s family. It was on this trip to Campagna, Salerno, that she met her future husband, Nunzio Bottiglieri.

“It was love at first sight,” says Granito. “After a two-week vacation, I came back to Chicago, took a leave of absence from my job with the Department of Children and Family Services and moved to Italy. We were married in 1997 and our two girls were born in Salerno.”

Bottiglieri worked in construction while Granito was raising their children. Wanting to relocate to Chicago, they made the move in 2004 and Bottiglieri continued in construction while Granito worked in education. After living with Granito’s parents for a year, they saved enough money to buy a home in Mundelein.

“We missed Italy and there was nowhere to shop for Italian goods near our house,” reminisces Granito. “My husband and I wanted to open an Italian store but just didn’t have the money to start a business, so we continued on with our lives.”

In June of 2011, their life changed. Granito and Bottiglieri opened the doors to their dream — Bontà market was open for business.

“We wanted to do this for so long, we said, ‘Let’s just go for it,'” Granito recalls. “We figured, if it works, great. If not, at least we tried.”

It is now their life.

“Nunzio is here at 6 o’clock every morning cooking and I come here after I take care of the girls at home,” describes Granito. “He works about 100 hours a week while I put in 80 hours. There’s something gratifying about putting in the work and watching something grow.”

“Bontà is a great name. It means delicious, good quality, abundance,” Granito notes. “I wanted a word that describes what we were trying to provide, an authentic Italian experience.”

Bontà enjoys a thriving lunch business. Known for its panini, the market sees a good share of repeat business. Customers are loyal due to the freshness of the food served. Granito and Bottiglieri cook throughout the day, preparing baked entrées, soups, salads and other specialties. Everything in the store takes you back to Italy. In fact, 90 percent of what they sell is imported from Italy.

“Sometimes things happen for a reason,” Granito reminisces. “Years ago, my miles were about to expire. Had I redeemed my miles for some other destination, we wouldn’t be living our dream today.”

Bontà Italian Market is located at 430 Milwaukee Ave. in Lincolnshire. For details, call 847-361-7451 or visit www.bontamarket.com.

About Lissa Druss

Lissa Druss is founder and CEO of Strategia Consulting, a government relations and business relations and crisis communication firm. She is a regular contributor on television and radio stations, offering perspective on crisis events and public affairs issues. She spent 21 years as a television journalist and is a nine-time Emmy award winner. She holds the title of Cavaliere dell’ Ordine della Stella d’Italia; serves on the boards of Milan-Chicago Sister Cities International, the Get Growing Foundation and the Italian American Human Relations Foundation, and is chairman of the Jarrett Payton Foundation. She works with the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii and the JCCIA, and is a member of the National Italian American Foundation.

Check Also

Pompei introduces perfect beer-pizza pairing

Pompei Restaurant, a mainstay on Chicago’s Taylor Street, now offers its very own Italian-style Pilsner …

Want More?


Subscribe to our print magazine
or give it as a gift.

Click here for details