More than 20 years ago, three Italian boys from the Jersey Shore met on the baseball diamond, intent on dominating their local little league division. Now, they are returning to their roots, intent on dominating the New Jersey restaurant scene. Celebrated chef Matthew Zappoli, brother Paul Zappoli, and lifelong friend Michael Cacciuttolo have opened Tre Amici, or "Three Friends," on Ocean Avenue in Long Branch.

The three graduates of Middletown High School North, after making their careers elsewhere, have come home to Monmouth County. Executive Chef Matthew Zappoli, a graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, hails from the kitchens of some of America's most celebrated restaurateurs - including Charlie Palmer and Sami Ledeki. Zappoli's innovative menus have pleased the palates of audiences in Manhattan, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Sonoma wine country. He has trained at top Manhattan restaurants Lutèce and La Grenouille, and has been a featured guest chef at New York's famed James Beard House. His recipes have graced the menus of the likes of Aureole, Charlie Palmer's flagship Manhattan restaurant, and Las Vegas' acclaimed Aureole at Mandalay Bay, where Zappoli was Executive Sous Chef of the $11 million, 375-seat venue. While in Las Vegas, Zappoli was recruited to become Executive Chef of Sami Ledecki's newest venture, FRESH Seafood Restaurant & Bar, in upscale La Jolla, California. After a few years on the west coast, Zappoli decided to return east and set up shop at the four-star restaurant Raven and the Peach in Fair Haven, New Jersey.

Most recently, Zappoli was Executive Chef at Zoë and Zoë Townhouse in Manhattan. Named by Bon Appétit as one of "Five Chefs to Watch" in 2005, and "Rising Star Chef" by Restaurant Hospitality, Zappoli is sure to bring a modern flair to Tre Amici. While Chef Zappoli creates in the kitchen, brother Paul Zappoli, General Manager of Tre Amici, will draw on his eight years in restaurant management to ensure patrons have a first-rate dining experience. Zappoli has managed multiple Manhattan restaurants, and has been the man atthe helm of Charlie Palmer restaurants in New York and Sonoma. Boyhood friend Michael Cacciuttolo, himself a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and a veteran of several gourmet kitchens, will help manage the business of Tre Amici, having honed his expertise in his years working as a financial planner.

The family-style Italian restaurant follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, Piccolo Forno, a beloved family-owned restaurant built by Angelo Maglione and Stephanie Oriolo, which has closed shop after 16 successful years. Though he had many choices, Maglione decided to turn over the reins to the Tre Amici, after falling in love with their plan to create New Jersey's best new Italian restaurant, with fresh, local ingredients, homemade pastas and pizzas, and a lot of fun.