When well-known Hermosa Beach chef Luca Manderino was forced to close his popular La Sosta Enoteca restaurant after 11-plus years in the neighborhood because the building was set for demolition in 2016, he made sure to take a few things with him. Obviously, he took his Northern Italian menu inspired by family recipes and authentic Venetian cuisine. The other was the hardwood floors he installed at his restaurant, which he ripped out personally before the former spot was demolished.

Both now take center stage at a new restaurant he opened Oct. 1 just a mile down the road from La Sosta Enoteca. Manderino’s new South Bay spot is simply called Sosta, but it still continues the chef’s ambitious mission of changing what he sees as a general misconception of Italian food.