Antica Sicilia

Address: 2020 East 3300 South

Telephone: 385-202-7236

Website: anticasiciliautah.com

District: Millcreek

 

“Life is hard enough that sometimes you just have to wake up and smile.” Giuseppe Mirenda says it easily, the words carried by the same warmth that greets guests walking through the doors of Antica Sicilia in Millcreek. For him, the restaurant business has never simply been about food. It is about people, family, and the quiet joy that comes from serving others well.

Giuseppe was born in Palermo, Sicily where food is woven into everyday life. He grew up surrounded by cooks. His grandfather, father, and grandmother were all chefs, and his grandmother on his mother’s side ran a small neighborhood market with his uncle, filled with fresh, locally sourced ingredients. “That is where I learned to respect food,” Giuseppe says. “To respect ingredients and to know how important it is to source the right ones.”

Cooking was never a question. It was simply the path he knew he would follow. At fourteen, he began culinary school, immersing himself in the fundamentals of Italian cooking. But at sixteen, his life shifted. His family made the decision to leave Sicily and move to the United States, arriving in Utah in 2012 with his parents, grandmother, uncle, and even the family dog.

“I did not know English,” he recalls with a laugh. He enrolled in English classes through Granite School District while working in restaurants alongside his family. The days were long, but the goal was clear. To build something of their own. Just two years later, Giuseppe found a small space that had once been a pie shop. At just nineteen years old, he helped secure the lease and open Sicilia Mia.

From the start, “it was a true family affair.” Giuseppe and his father worked in the kitchen alongside another Italian chef. His mother ran the front of the house. His grandmother ensured every recipe stayed true. His uncle made the pizzas. 

The response was immediate. Within months, reservations stretched two weeks out, revealing a strong appetite in Salt Lake City for authentic Italian food rooted in tradition. That momentum led to something more. In 2016, Giuseppe opened Antica Sicilia. When he first saw the space, its wood interior and aged character felt familiar, reminding him of rustic homes and countryside cabins in Sicily. The name itself reflects that connection. "Antica” speaks to something old, something enduring.

“We are a traditional Italian restaurant,” Giuseppe explains. “But we take some spins into a modern way to bring forward an experience.” From the moment guests walk through the door, every detail matters. The greeting, the pacing, the way each dish is presented. It is all part of a larger experience. The ingredients reflect that same level of care. Olive oil, flour, and cheeses are imported directly from Italy, while fresh produce and grass-fed beef are sourced locally. The kitchen relies on traditional techniques. The menu balances simplicity and creativity. A carbonara is prepared tableside in a wheel of aged Grana Padano. A bone-in ribeye is finished in a flaming skillet. The cioppino arrives sealed beneath a dome of pizza dough, opened at the table to release the aromas within. And then there is the moist, scrumptious olive oil cake. “It is a family recipe.”

Even as the restaurants have grown, the foundation remains the same. Giuseppe's wife Elsa helps manage the business, and their children, Sofia and Luca, are already part of the rhythm of the restaurant. “Sofia wants to be a chef,” he says with a smile.

In addition to Sicilia Mia and Antica Sicilia, Giuseppe and his team have recently expanded with Basta Pasteria in both Murray and Draper. They are a more casual concept focused on fresh pasta at an accessible price, offering guests the same quality in a quicker, everyday setting. Still, the philosophy has not changed. “I think for me it was a God-given gift,” he says. “To serve others. When you see the smile on people’s faces at the table, that is my biggest reward.”