John Travolta was joined by “the usual Saturday night crowd” at this local Italian restaurant over the weekend.
New Smyrna Beach welcomed a very special guest to its restaurant scene this weekend: Hollywood icon John Travolta enjoyed dinner at the Via Canaletto restaurant on Saturday evening.
Travolta, or “JT” as Via Canaletto owner Leon Geller calls him, has visited the upscale Italian restaurant several times since it opened in 2023 — even a few times before — as he has been a good friend of Geller’s for over a decade.
The two met in Ocala in early 2010 through mutual friends, Geller said, and from then on “the friendship developed quite naturally.”
“He let us know and we hadn’t seen each other in a while, so he said, ‘Hey, I’m coming back from Paris – from the Olympics. Do you want to go out to dinner?’ Just like he always does,” Geller said in an interview with The News-Journal.
“…He’s been (to the restaurant) a couple of times before and after we opened, you know? Sometimes spontaneously, when he’s in the area or passing through. As you know, he’s one of the busiest men on the planet.”
His arrival was kept secret, Geller noted, and he sat at a corner table in the restaurant, where he enjoyed “a medley” of chef Antonio Mazzella’s creations, including the swordfish puttanesca special, carbonara, lasagna and bucatini with meat sauce.
“JT is – he’s a foodie,” Geller said, “…and Chef Antonio makes most of his own dishes,” from the sauces and meatballs to the tiramisu, burrata and mozzarella cheese, not to mention the signature pasta offered every night.
“And that’s obviously a good incentive too – (Travolta) loves chef food.”
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Travolta: Hollywood icon and no stranger in the Sunshine State
Travolta, 70, wears many hats – award-winning actor, producer, singer, dancer and pilot, to name a few.
Known for his roles in cult films such as “Saturday Night Fever,” “Grease” and “Pulp Fiction,” the Lifetime Achievement Award winner is one of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces with a successful career spanning five decades.
In the late 1980s, Travolta even owned property at the Spruce Creek Fly-In in Port Orange, where he often flew his 1964 Boeing 707, to the dismay of some of the airfield’s peace-seeking residents. The jet previously belonged to Frank Sinatra, The Guardian reported, and was later donated by Travolta to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society, Flying Magazine reported.
Since then, Travolta has been a longtime resident of the Jumbolair Aviation and Equestrian Estates in Ocala, where he has maintained his $10 million estate for about two decades. The property is home to “the largest licensed private airstrip in North America,” according to the company’s website.
However, when the busy star is back in town, he often brings with him an infectiously positive attitude, Geller said.
“Especially these days we see so many negative things in the news and on TV, so it’s good to have someone – JT is just one of the best people I’ve met in my entire life and I’ve been all over the world,” Geller said.
“He’s a great person and, like I said, when someone comes to us, he doesn’t turn anyone away. He’s super personable and it’s just – it’s good. It’s nice to have him here and we hope to have him here more often in the future.”
Via Canaletto is located at 317 N. Orange St. in New Smyrna Beach and is open Wednesday through Sunday from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Reservations are recommended. For more information, call 386-410-2220 or visit viacanaletto.com.
