Buckhead’s “Mama Gale” Parker delights diners with over-the top decorations at Amore e Amore.
When Gale Parker met her husband Giovanni Ferro, her entire life changed. She went from working in textiles in New York to marketing in Atlanta, then to running Asti, a Buckhead restaurant. When Ferro sold Asti, Parker assumed the couple was retired. While out to dinner one night, Ferro stumbled upon an Italian restaurant called Il Localino in Inman Park. “I liked traveling and lying on the beach, and didn’t really want another restaurant,” says Parker, who lives in Buckhead. “But Giovanni had to have that restaurant. He has incredible instincts. Somehow he just knew.”
They transformed the space into the successful, white-tablecloth Il Localino that they ran for the next 20 years. After the pandemic, they renamed it Amore e Amore, keeping the menu and redesigning the interior to reflect different holidays and themes throughout the year, the most recent of which was Harry Potter. “I still work seven days a week. The love we receive in the restaurant is extraordinary,” says Parker, who goes by Mama Gale. “For most people, in the two to three hours they spend with us, their lives are lightened a little bit. That gift bounces off the walls to us. It’s a party.”
Here, she shares her story.
Tell us about the early days of Il Localino.
We got the keys at 1 a.m. on September 30, 2000. We decided to just open the doors, see who showed up and build the restaurant the neighborhood needed. Giovanni was in the kitchen; I was on the floor schmoozing. I asked people if they could have anything to eat, what would it be. We did this for 140 consecutive days. We were there almost 24 hours a day. Within two weeks of people finding out we were [in Inman Park], there was a line around the block.
Why do you live in Buckhead when the restaurant is in Inman Park?
Buckhead is where life started for Gio and me. If I’m going to be in Atlanta, Buckhead is home. We are high-rise people. We have 14-foot windows. It’s breathtaking—the greenery, the quiet. Buckhead is a city inside a city. People are out and about all the time. I can feel the pulse of the city coming through my shoes when I walk down the street. There are 1,000 places I can get to in 10 minutes.
How did you come up with the concept for Amore e Amore?
In 2021, people were not themselves. Everyone was going through something. I started searching for a way for all of us to get back [to normal]. After New Year’s Eve, I didn’t take down the decorations. I said, “We are going to do New Year’s Eve all month.” Nobody could get enough of it! Next was Valentine’s Day. It was so well received that I started to panic about what would happen in March. I thought, “Who doesn’t love The Wizard of Oz?” The minute people walked through the door, it was like COVID never happened. My favorite part of the night was standing at the door and watching the faces of the guests walking in. I became addicted to that rush.
Why do people call you Mama Gale?
The restaurant is a family. My staff are like kids to me. If they’re sick, I have doctors for them. It’s become part of my identity.
AMORE E AMORE
404.600.2176
amoreeamore.com
@eatamoreatl
PHOTO: Joann Vitelli
