Eateries rally behind pizza shop’s crooner

Sal Valentinetti went from delivering pizzas for Albertson’s Da Angelo Pizzeria in his Cadillac DeVille to singing for millions of viewers on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.”
Now, Da Angelo and seven other area restaurants are trying to propel the 20-year-old crooner to victory in the contest by inviting locals to grab a bite and cast a vote for Valentinetti.
“Every time he’s on it’s like we’re on with him,” said the pizzeria’s owner, Steven Giangrande.
Valentinetti lives in Bethpage but has delivered pizzas for Da Angelo for about two and a half years, though he’s taken a hiatus for about a year to sing and study at St. John’s University, Giangrande said.
With a singing voice reminiscent of Frank Sinatra, he’s become a favorite of viewers and the supermodel and judge Heidi Klum on “America’s Got Talent.” Viewers voted to save him from elimination and send him to the semifinals on the Aug. 3 show.
“A lot of my customers didn’t really know what was going on that Tuesday when he sang, but we had the TVs blaring the night of the results and the place was mobbed,” said Giangrande, a Mineola resident.
Valentinetti has had an entertainer’s personality since he was young, always trying to make people laugh, said Giangrande, the husband of Valentinetti’s cousin. But it took him a while to discover his talent.
“He would sing at family gatherings and stuff like that as a kid, belt out a couple notes, but he wasn’t really sure he could sing until he was about 14, 15 years old,” Giangrande said.
Giangrande said he thinks his cousin’s persona could take him to victory on “America’s Got Talent.”
The notoriously tough Simon Cowell complimented his humor and showmanship on the show, saying he’s like “a singing pizza.”
“If he keeps acting like himself, doesn’t try to be someone that he’s not, I think he’s got a good shot,” Giangrande said.
Eight local restaurants, including Da Angelo, will hold “America’s Got Talent” watch parties when the show returns Aug. 23. Valentinetti will likely sing again in September, Giangrande said.
Tony Lubrano, president of the Mineola Chamber of Commerce, said he hopes bringing residents together to root on a hometown star will draw more customers to the local eateries.
“It’s one thing to watch TV and to see these people who you have no idea who they are or where they’re from,” said Lubrano, owner of Piccola Bussola restaurant in Mineola. “… We’re kind of excited to say we know somebody who’s involved in that way.”
Lubrano also hopes Valentinetti might return the favor “by showing up to the [Mineola] Street Fair or something like that,” he said.
Da Angelo, Piccola Bussola, Eleanor Rigby’s, Burrito Boulevard, Nick’s Tuscan Grill, Plum Tomatoes, Barosa Pizzeria and the Westbury Diner will hold watch parties from 8 to 9 p.m. each Tuesday and Wednesday from Aug. 23 through Sept. 14.
Reach reporter Noah Manskar by e-mail at nmanskar@theislandnow.com or by phone at 516.307.1045 x204. Also follow us on Twitter @noahmanskar and Facebook at facebook.com/theislandnow.