Donna and Tony Vallone are the proprietors of the locally beloved and nationally renowned tony’s Restaurant. The Vallone’s have earned a flawless reputation for exceptional food, excellent wine and impeccable service and a creative, continuously changing menu. While these are major accomplishments and certainly add to the success of this internationally acclaimed restaurant, it is the belief of most that it is the warm smiles of Tony and Donna that greet you when you enter the restaurant, making you feel as if you are entering the Vallone home.
Among Tony’s most impressive distinctions is that he has served six United States Presidents, numerous foreign heads of state and notable dignitaries from around the world.
tony’s restaurant awards are legendary. It has been give the honor of one of the Top 20 Restaurants in America. Texas Monthly Magazine called tony’s the “Rolls Royce of Texas Restaurants.” Over the years it has consistently won accolades from national and international restaurant critics alike and superlatives from Zagat’s.
He was the first Texan inducted into the National Restaurant Association Hall of Fame in 1982 and the first American-born board member of the famed Gruppo Ristoratori Italiliani of Italy. He is a member of the Nation’s Restaurant News “Hall of Fame” and was elected to the Culinary “Who’s Who of Texas.” In addition, Tony is the author of the critically acclaimed tony’s … the cookbook, and has appeared on many national and local television programs.
In addition to their culinary contributions to our city, both Tony and Donna donate their time and talents to numerous local and national causes and organizations. Tony sits on the board of the Texas Heart Institute of St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital and the University of Houston Conrad Hilton School of Restaurant and Hotel Management. Donna is a board member of The Friends of Nursing at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, The Maxine Mesinger Multiple Sclerosis Clinic at Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital, and the Galleria Area Chamber of Commerce.
Together, this dynamic husband and wife team have made Houston proud. Family is important to Tony and Donna. They have five wonderful children and five precious grandchildren.