05/29/2026
In my family, the table was never just a place to eat.
It was where everyone came together. The arguments, the celebrations, the long Sundays, the loud conversations, and the people showing up hungry and leaving like family.
My parents came from Italy, and that’s really where all of this started.
Before restaurants, I took a different road. I spent years in the music industry in Los Angeles. Then in 2016, my father, Alfredo Russo, suddenly passed away and I came home to Florida.
Today, 5/29, marks 10 years since we lost him, and I’ve been thinking a lot about everything that’s happened since.
He left behind Junkanoo and Fresh Catch Bistro on Fort Myers Beach. At the time, both were in the final years of their lease, so I wasn’t just stepping into the family business. I was stepping into a moment where I had to figure out what came next.
I didn’t know exactly what that would look like. I just knew I had a responsibility to keep going, protect what he built, and find a way forward.
Over time, that responsibility turned into a bigger vision.
What started with two restaurants on Fort Myers Beach has grown into Montoro Hospitality Group, a family of concepts across Southwest Florida named after the area in Italy my father came from. Italian comfort food, fresh seafood, an elevated steakhouse, beachside restaurants, and more.
Different concepts, different personalities, but all built on the same foundation: good food, good people, consistency, and care.
And none of this could have been done alone. It takes great leadership, partners, managers, chefs, and teams who show up every day and care about what they do. I’m grateful for the people who have helped build this, protect it, and push it forward.
Most of all, I’m grateful to Southwest Florida.
For over 35 years, this community has supported our family, our restaurants, and the people behind them. You’ve celebrated with us, rebuilt with us, brought your families through our doors, and allowed us to keep doing what we love.
When you dine at one of our restaurants, you’re not just supporting a business. You’re supporting a legacy, a family, and hundreds of hardworking local people who show up every day to make this all possible.
What my father started has become something much bigger than I ever could have imagined. Ten years later, I’m proud to still be carrying it forward.
Thank you, SWFL, for being part of our story. And thank you, Dad, for all of it.
With gratitude,
Franco Russo
