It seems the only thing stopping a steady stream of patrons to the Ports of Italy is bad weather. The snowstorms last week threatened to put a damper on Ports of Italy’s last week before closing for the season. In the summer, Ports of Italy regularly serves around 245 meals. In the non-tourist season, owner Sante Calandri closes off a portion of the restaurant and can serve up to 200 diners per night.

On Dec. 28, Ports of Italy had approximately 90 diners, according to Calandri. Pretty good for a Tuesday night during the Boothbay Harbor winter, but Calandri expected bigger crowds for the weekend. The popular Gardens Aglow event in Boothbay has attracted a large number of patrons Thursdays through Sundays for the past month to the restaurant. And New Year’s Eve attracts a big crowd each year, according to Calandri.

But on Dec. 28, the weather forecast had him worried about snowstorms wiping out the last weekend of 2016. The storm threatened cancelling the final weekend of Gardens Aglow and causing Midcoast patrons to cancel their New Year’s Eve dinner plans.

Last week’s two storms only impacted Ports of Italy’s business on Dec. 29. The restaurant had large crowds on Friday and Saturday, according to Calandri. It concluded another successful year for Ports of Italy, which closes for three months each year after New Year’s Eve.

2016 was the seventh year Calandri, 58,  a native of Trevi, Italy, has owned the popular Italian restaurant. Ports of Italy opened in 2006. It was one of two Italian restaurants in Boothbay Harbor when Calandri purchased it in 2010.

“When I bought Ports of Italy, it was a real good restaurant, but not real well-known,” he said.

His personal touch has resulted in turning the restaurant into a popular location for both summer tourists and Midcoast residents alike from March to December. Calandri estimates his business has grown 20 percent each year since he purchased it.

In the past two, the business has received a major boost in November and December. These two cold, winter months are usually the restaurant’s worst, but now rival peak summer tourist months in patronage.

“Gardens Aglow has been great for business. Thursday through Sunday, its been like late July and early August in here, ” Calandri said.

But major tourist attractions aren’t what brings people back to the Ports of Italy, again and again. It’s the food, and Calandri’s knack for knowing what customers want. He uses his four decades in the Italian food industry to please diners.

Calandri began working at age 13 in small restaurants near his hometown in the Italian province of Umbria. By age 14, he was working at seasonal resorts on the Adriatic Sea. By age 25, Calandri decided to take his experience of working in Italian restaurants to the United States.

He had worked successfully in Rome for several years before deciding to leave Italy.

“The waiters who worked there made a percentage, and for the time, it was lot of money. After their shift they all go to the Jackie O' (a popular Roman nightclub) until late hours and play poker until early morning,” he said. “I liked the money, but not the lifestyle, and decided to move on.”

In 1983, Calandri arrived in New York City. In 1987, he became a server at one of two midtown Manhattan restaurants which were revolutionizing the Italian restaurant business.

“Biche and Cipriani changed how Italian food was served,” he said. “Biche took New York City by storm. The cream of the city came there every night. It was like being in show business because everybody — waiters, cooks, and busboys — had to be at their best. It was like that every night.”

Calandri was a server at Biche before becoming Maître d in 2000. At Biche, the restaurant changed its menu, staff and its look. The changes worked. The restaurant attracted top entertainers like Frank Sinatra and future president of the United States and New York billionaire Donald Trump.

In 2009, after spending 22 years at Biche, Calandri learned the restaurant would close. He decided it was time to open his own restaurant. Calandri began searching for locations when he spotted a place for sale in Boothbay Harbor. He selected Maine due to pleasant experiences vacationing in Bar Harbor with his son. Calandri preferred Maine’s summers to those in New York City or Florida. He also liked the prospect of operating a seasonal operation.

“I was searching the Internet for places and found Ports of Italy by accident. It was perfect and exactly the kind of place I wanted,” he said.

Calandri didn’t make many changes in his first year of operation. His experience told him a restaurant’s regular customers don’t like seeing major changes all at once. So he waited before remaking Ports of Italy.

“After a year, I hired a new chef. We reorganized the kitchen, changed the menu, and the restaurant’s appearance,” Calandri said.

By 2012, Calandri had a staff in place headed by Chef Fabrizio Ventricini.

“Chef Fabrizio is an excellent chef. It took some time, but together, we put together a great team,” he said.

In 2015, Calandri opened a second Ports of Italy in Kennebunkport with a partner. His partnership agreement was set to expire at year’s end and he is now contemplating whether he wants to continue his involvement in the second restaurant.

“It’s always challenging working with a partner. So I’m thinking about what is best for my future. I need to make a decision this week,” he said.

Making life-changing decisions isn’t anything new for Calandri. His decision to leave a successful career as a Maître d at a major New York City restaurant or opening a second Maine restaurant are two he’s made. But they are nothing like the one he made as a 25-year old.  Calandri had made several international contacts while working in Italy and discussed his employment options with them.

He considered Amsterdam and London before choosing New York. Calandri knew the restaurant business. What he didn’t know was how to speak English very well.

“I learned a little bit of English in school, but I never took any lessons,” he said.

Despite living in the U.S. for 34 years, Calandri insists his English still isn’t too good, but his food is.