In 1958, John Del Signore left his hometown in Fonte d'Amore, Italy, to join other Del Signore men working in Venezuela's construction industry.

John and Lina Del Signore travel to Italy every year to visit family there. Both were raised on small farms in Italy, which helps explain the small garden at Laurel Manor that supplies many of the fresh herbs used in Chef Vitale's creations.

There, the men worked hard but ate well, as they each took turns cooking old family favorites from home. After almost ten years, John decided to leave Venezuela to embark on a future in the United States, but not before first returning to Fonte d'Amore to marry Lina .

In 1964, John and Lina opened DiGiovanni's Pizzeria in Livonia and later, the Italian Hut, which was eventually replaced by Fonte d'Amore restaurant, a long-standing Del Signore landmark featuring home-cooked Italian food that has drawn rave reviews from restaurant-goers from all over metropolitan Detroit for over 25 years.

From the beginning, serving customers has been a family affair. John and Lina's children-Tino, Luciano, Nanci, and Renata-have all taken part in working in the family business.

After a while, cooking for and serving a restaurant full of people wasn't enough of a challenge! In 1989, the Del Signores opened Laurel Manor, which continues to be the measure of excellence by which other metro Detroit special event centers strive to compete. Tino manages Laurel Manor with his sister Nanci.

Both believe that the main reason for Laurel Manor's continued success is the family's emphasis on quality, home-cooked food and the pride they take in every dish that is served-whether it's the first one out of the oven, or the 1000th!