As business transactions go, the passing of Carmelo's restaurant from one hand to another was drama-free, according to new owner Benjamin Berg. Carmelo's longtime owner, Carmelo Mauro, was ready to retire and leave his 37-year-old Italian restaurant in Memorial to new operators. And he made a good connection in Berg, who despite opening two new projects as well as running the popular B&B Butchers & Restaurant, saw the potential in owning an Italian restaurant.

The deal was struck late last year but Mauro had two important provisos: that Berg continue to support specific charities that Carmelo's championed, and that Mauro could come in and eat pasta on the house twice a week for the rest of his life. "He said, "I'm Italian! I need to eat pasta!' " Berg remembers with a laugh.