hey, we are Nadi Plates

Nadia is a first-generation Italian-American with a lifelong passion for food and the way it can bring people together. Shortly after her parents, Pasquale and Marianna Santaniello, came to America in the early 1960s from Naples, they opened their own restaurant focused on providing a warm, family-like atmosphere (so much family, they lived in it) with the comforting and familiar tastes of southern Italy. 

Nadia was instrumental in the success of her family’s restaurant and adopted her parents’ very hands-on approach, helping out wherever and whenever she was needed. In 1991, she opened a 300-seat banquet facility adjacent to the restaurant, and served as its first Director of Banquet and Catering. After 25 years in the family business, she ventured into the corporate world and made a name for herself at major food & beverage companies across the Midwest. 

Now, with Nadi Plates, she’s heading out on her own to combine her traditional Italian restaurant experience and business savvy with her knowledge of a changing culinary landscape. Born out of her kitchen, she’s twisting time-honored Italian recipes with modern flair, and breathing new life into historical dishes. Whether it’s a vegan lasagna that doesn’t taste like cardboard, or a gluten-free pizza for people who don’t hate themselves, Nadi Plates is all about having fun with food without losing the authenticity. And it’s about treating people like family, as Italians do, and families don’t feed each other sh*t food.