Villa Milano has been a staple in the Manhasset community since 1984. But what made the pizza joint so special was not its stellar food but rather the two brothers behind it who welcomed every customer who walked through its doors into their family.
The brothers, Eli and Don Bekteshi, will now be honored with a street renaming to commemorate their impact on the community. The portion of Plandome Road from George Street to Andrew Road, which encompasses their restaurant, will now be called “Bekteshi Brothers’ Way.”
“This was my father’s home, this was Eli’s home,” Sal Bekteshi said. “They’ve done everything in their power to make everyone feel welcome.”
Both brothers died in 2023, yet their fingerprints can still be found throughout the Manhasset community in the numerous lives they have touched over the decades.
For more than an hour, resident after resident came to speak at the North Hempstead town board meeting on Tuesday, July 8, to express their support for the street renaming and share stories about the brothers.
The town board voted unanimously to rename the street. The vote was met with roaring applause.
Stories shared during the meeting ranged from the brothers fostering a heartwarming spot for birthday parties to offering to pay for someone’s mortgage. They were there during times of need, no matter how big or small, including supporting people during Superstorm Sandy and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The great thing I thought about the brothers was that if one was there, he was there to help you, and if the other one was there, he was there to help you,” Manhasset resident Raymond Corio said. “And when they were both there, well, you struck gold.”
Villa Milano was compared to the bar from the sitcom “Cheers,” because it too was a place where everybody knew your name.
Sal Bekteshi spoke to the nature of his father and uncle, saying they truly took to heart immersing themselves in the Manhasset community. He choked back tears as he reminisced about the two.
“It’s not just a pizza place, it’s not just a restaurant, it is so much more to so many other people,” Sal Bekteshi said. I just want to thank you all so much, just for even considering this. My father and Eli would be so happy and so honored if they were here today. It truly means a lot to me and my family.”
Logan Panzik, a 2023 Manhasset High School grad, said Don Bekteshi was like a second father to him. He was not only his first employer but also helped him learn to drive.
“You would have thought everybody was his family,” Panzik said.
Robbie Donno, founder of the nonprofit Gift of Life, said Villa Milano was frequently the go-to spot for taking the recently arrived children and their families for a meal. He said the Bekteshis always welcomed the kids with open arms, sometimes speaking to them in their native language to give them a sense of familiarity or even inviting them into their home.
Robbie Donno’s son, Matthew Donno, co-president of the Manhasset Chamber of Commerce, said Villa Milano and the Bekteshi’s were a staple in his life growing up in Manhasset. Even when he left for college, he knew Villa Milano was there every time he came home.
“There’s not a point in my life that Villa [Milano} wasn’t part of my life,” Matthew Donno said.
Sal Bekteshi said it is heartwarming to hear from people that his father and uncle left an impression on them even two years after their deaths.
“They left a huge legacy to follow, and we are trying our best to fill it,” Sal Bekteshi said.
