Rotarians were descending on Southdale Center Thursday, March 10, at noon. No, they weren’t on a shopping spree—it was Vocational Day at Z Italiano, a new full-service, casual, Italianesque restaurant just down the hall from Southdale AMC Theater's box office. It has replaced the old California Pizza Kitchen.
We were greeted by Dave Hatzung and Mary Younggren as we walked into the restaurant. Mike Sitek helped with check-in. Everyone was invited to sit in a booth. I had the pleasure of sitting with Bill McReavy, Mike Hagen and Wade Thommen. Our table had salads and we could see that some members were enjoying pasta.
After lunch, Jennifer Bennerotte called the meeting to order. She started the meeting off with a baby guessing game. The correct guesses were Sam Thompson, Patti Ellingson-Solheim, Ken Andersen, Sue Spalding, Paul Peterson, Tim Murphy, Jennifer Garske and Natalie Olive Eidsness, newborn of Kyle and Kaylin Eidsness. Ann Platt was the most mentioned wrong guess for the girl babies.
Marty Kupper was recognized for organizing a very successful event. George Lancaster led the prayer, Pledge of Allegiance and the Four-Way Test. Hugh Hadlund introduced the guests. Greg Yoch asked for volunteers for VEAP to pack food for kids. Sue Spalding made her plea for donations to The Rotary Foundation. She said she will be calling everyone—be ready!
Zach Saueressig, the owner and operator of Z Italiano, then talked about his career and how he got to this point of owning his own restaurant. Zach is from Fargo, has three daughters and lives in Chaska. He has worked in restaurants all of his life. He started working in Shakey’s Pizza when he was in his teens. He then worked at Godfather’s Pizza. From there he opened up Green Mill in Fargo and became the general manager. This is when he decided that this was what he wanted to do with his career. He moved to manage Granite City in St. Cloud where he learned the fundamentals of the business.
Zach got his break from Parasole Restaurants when he became the manager of Salut Bar Americain in Edina. This is where he learned about building brands. He joined the Edina Chamber of Commerce and loved getting involved in the community. He also did a fundraiser for the Smile Network. His philosophy is:
- Get open
- Stay open
- Make money
He then got a call from Ben Martin (member of the Edina Morningside Rotary Club) from Southdale asking him if he would open a pasta and pizza restaurant at the mall. He wrote a business plan and finally got a bank to believe in his plan. He got feedback from customers that they felt he should personalize the restaurant. He has accomplished that by putting up pictures of his family. He is proud that this is a family-owned business not a chain. He believes that personal connections are key to being successful. He finished his talk by stating that Z Italiano is his American dream.
Mike Opitz thanked the speaker and told him that Rotary would donate a book to Edina schools in his honor. Jennifer then closed the meeting.
The question I have, “Did everyone go shopping at the mall after lunch?”
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The Rotary Club of Edina will welcome Edina Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Ric Dressen as program speaker at the Thursday, March 17, meeting. He will speak about "Next Generation Facilities for our Learners of Today and Tomorrow." 
The Edina Country Club will serve an Italian buffet at the Rotary Club of Edina's March 17 meeting.