“It's all about the sauce,” says chef Tony Illiano, owner of Lansdowne Town Center's newest eatery, Il Cappero. Originally from Naples, Italy, Illiano moved to the U.S. in 1983. His grandmother taught him how to make the family's secret sauce recipe when he was 15, and it has been the basis for his cooking ever since.

“My grandmother taught me if you want good sauce you have to get up early in the morning to start cooking it. I wanted to create a good Italian restaurant using high-quality ingredients, and this is it,” he said. Illiano has owned and operated numerous restaurants with his brothers, Mike and Frank, including New York J&P Pizza locations around Maryland. He decided last year to venture out on his own and create a new, separate concept.