Osteria LuCa is a restaurant born of dedication, vision, and experience. Park Road’s modern-meets-classic Italian restaurant opened its doors in January 2020. Two months later, they were shuttering their doors and trying to figure out what was next. Unlike many other restaurants, though, Osteria elected not to offer takeout services.
“Being a new restaurant, we didn’t want people’s first experience to be out of a box,” explains Ken Martino, who owns Osteria with his wife Tricia Martino.
Instead, the Osteria team apprehensively waited until May when they at last re-opened their doors, but only after reconfiguring their dining room and staffing protocol to adhere to social distancing guidelines. Even with the shuffling, the Martinos were able to keep most of the staff.

“Our staff has been our key to success. We have caring and considerate people who feel passionately about serving our guests. Our motto is ‘Work hard and be kind.’ We feel, if we can do those two things, then everything will be alright,” says Ken.
One staff member who has been particularly critical to this mission is Shane Miller, who was hired as the opening Executive Chef in 2019 and guided Osteria LuCa to acclaim in the years since. Miller began working in restaurants at age 16. As he tells it, he loved food almost as much as he loved simply being in the hustle and bustle of a restaurant, the carefully choreographed dance of the dining room and kitchen, the finer points of a successful business, the satisfaction of a busy night. So, Miller attended Johnson & Wales, graduating in 2014 with a degree in Food & Hospitality Management.
He trained with Sam Diminich, who was the Executive Chef at Upstream Restaurant in Charlotte before becoming well-known by winning the Food Network hit “Beat Bobby Flay” and starting his own culinary concepts: Restaurant Constance and Your Farms Your Table Restaurant Group. Determined to understand every nook and cranny of the restaurant business, Chef Shane transitioned out of the kitchen to the front of house, accepting a management position at CO, a Southeast Asian restaurant with two Charlotte locations.


In 2019, Miller found his way back to the kitchen at Osteria LuCa. Alongside Chef Chris McDade, he designed their first four seasonal menu iterations. Now, Miller is the primary pioneer of updates to the menu, whether that’s seasonal rotations or innovative new dishes. “Each and every menu starts with elements, components, ingredients found in different regions in Italy,” says Miller. “From there, the team comes up with ways to make these components uniquely our own.”
Miller works closely alongside the Martinos to ensure he’s embodying their shared food philosophy at every step of the way: “The essence of Italian food is simplicity.” Quality ingredients working in streamlined harmony are at the crux of Osteria Luca’s offering, from their food to their people.

“Tricia and I created Osteria LuCa to be a comfortable neighborhood spot where locals would gather with friends and family to enjoy simple delicious food and beverages,” recalls Ken. “Four and a half years in, it’s nice to see a steady stream of regulars and newcomers, many of whom know each other and stop at each table or the bar to catch up.”
Despite opening during a time of intense isolation, Osteria has realized its potential as a place of assembly, where good people on both sides of the kitchen delight in the simple pleasure of good food and good company.