RETURN TO THE VINEYARD With the Prossedas di Norma

When you take over an established business, it can be a little tricky to navigate. You inherit a clientele, but you also have your own ideas, too. That’s only natural. Businesses do this every day, and they often meet with much success.

Such is the case with the new owners of The Vineyard in Bethlehem, whose extended family hails from Norma, Italy—hence, the name change, which adds “Di Norma.”

When brother-and-sister team Luke and Rachael

Prosseda took over this hidden gem tucked away in Fountain Hill on a neighborhood side street, it already had some longevity going for it. Previous owners Pietro and Maria DiMatteo had owned the business for nearly 30 years before retiring. The Prossedas had been “low-key looking” for a restaurant for a few years, as Rachael describes it, after spending a lot of time working in them (although Rachael’s training is in social work). However, now that they own

The Vineyard, with Luke in the kitchen and Rachael in the front of the house, the new duo is ever-present and they’re creating their own experience with the space. You’ll likely see their parents, too, from time to time (their mom makes the desserts). And given their heritage, the Prossedas brought in some of their own food ideas, of course, based on their travels and their family’s love of good, authentic food. In some ways, The Vineyard continues the tradition of

Italian hospitality; keeping some of the kitchen staff helps with that continuity too. (Shout out to Chef Eddie; Rachael says he’s been with the restaurant for 30 years.) There’s some experience there with the previous menu, and the clientele, that comes in handy. But Luke is doing something a little different; he calls it “Italian-style modern cuisine,” and it’s apt. He says the menu has been “slimmed down, pared back and is more focused.”