The Family Behind the Counter
A Dynasty Built on Bread, Meatballs & Love
Maria and Louie Palo left the Amalfi Coast of Italy in 1984 — arriving in Orlando with a newborn and no restaurant experience. Over 35 years they built a dining dynasty: Amalfi's Italian Restaurant, Carnevale di Amalfi, Louie & Maria's, Pizzeria Valdiano.
In 2018, their children Al, Diana, and Michael urged the family to distill everything into something pure: a real Italian deli, the kind they remembered from home. Stasio's opened on E Robinson St with one promise — make only what you can sell fresh that day, nothing more.
The name "Stasio's" is Maria's family name. Every sandwich, every sauce, every pastry dough is made the way she was taught in Salerno.
"When it's gone, it's gone. We make what we can sell fresh. That's the only way."
Louie's Bread
Baked in-house every morning before the deli opens. Sub rolls with a crusty exterior and the ideal doughy interior — every review singles them out. The aroma fills the street.
The Milk District
An accredited Main Street America neighborhood in Orlando. Stasio's was named Business of the Month for October 2023 — Italian-American Heritage Month.
From Amalfi, for Orlando
Louie is from Amalfi; Maria from Salerno. The bronze die-cut pasta they import comes from Louie's hometown — a pasta tradition that predates mass production by centuries.
What They're Making Next
A pizza fritta restaurant — Neapolitan fried pizza — opening adjacent to the deli in the Milk District. Another chapter in the Palo family story.