For a man with an outsized personality, Vinny Altadonna has strictly followed the start small and build bigger business mantra. The owner of Modesto’s Chefs of New York Italian restaurants has moved his downtown J Street eatery to a new, larger spot on 13th Street. The restaurant opened in its new space July 2, and has been serving breakfast and lunch since with plans to expand to dinner.

The opportunity to move came quickly, about a month ago, following the closure of the building’s previous tenant, Midtown Bistro, after only a few months open. Altadonna, a towering figure who welcomes guests by their first name and is happy to regale them with stories about his Sicilian family, said it’s been his dream since he was young to own a restaurant with an attached full bar.