Over the course of four decades, La Sirena has helped shape the fabric of West Palm Beach dining, earning a devoted following and one of thewine world's highest honors.
Now the restaurant is preparing for a new era.
Owners Diane and Marcello Fiorentino sold their Italian gem to Alex and Amanda Gaudelet, who will reopen it in November following a light renovation that preserves the restaurant's character while introducing a refreshed menu, expanded wine offerings and a full bar.
The sale includes the Grand Award-winning wine cellar.
For the Fiorentinos, finding a buyer was never simply about selling.
"We chose Alex because we felt he was the best fit," Marcello Fiorentino said, explaining that the couple wanted someone who understood both the business
and the responsibility of taking over one of Palm Beach County's most beloved independent restaurants.
La Sirena: A family's legacy
Marcello Fiorentino's parents founded La Sirena in 1986. Following his father's death in 1994, the restaurant stayed in the family. He eventually joined the business and brought his wife Diane into the operation as the couple worked to reinvent it together.
After an inspirational trip to Italy in the late 1990s, they reworked much of the menu around classic Italian cooking and gradually built one of the world's most respected wine programs.
"We built it out of desperation," Mr. Fiorentino recalled with a laugh, describing the early years when the restaurant struggled to attract customers and the couple spent countless hours doing whatever it took to keep it going.
The hard work paid off.
La Sirena earned its first Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 1999, then received the magazine's rare Grand Award, its highest recognition for restaurant wine programs, in 2015.
Today, it remains among a small group of four Florida restaurants holding the distinction. Its 4,000-bottle cellar boasts more than 2,000 selections and is especially known for its depth in Italian wines.
Passing the torch
Alex Gaudelet, a Paris native, met the Fiorentinos through publicist David Sabin. At the time, Gaudelet was launching The Polo Room in Palm Beach, where he is a principal partner.
That introduction eventually led to conversations about succession, and ultimately a sale.
The purchase coincided with the Gaudelet family's move from Connecticut to South Florida.
"We decided to focus our time and energy in South Florida," Mr. Gaudelet said. "The reason we acquired La Sirena was because as a family we decided to move here."
He was drawn to the restaurant's history yet recognized the challenge ahead. Longtime patrons spent decades associating La Sirena with two generations of Fiorentinos, a reality Marcello acknowledged.
"Even if it's exactly the same, if they don't see me or Diane there, they're going to say it's not the same," Mr. Fiorentino said. "That's just human nature."
Rather than recreate the Fiorentinos' version, Mr. Gaudelet said he plans to build on its foundation.
What's changing and what's not
The Gaudelets described the renovation as decorative. Capacity will remain roughly the same, and valet parking will continue.
And yes, existing gift certificates will be honored indefinitely.
One longstanding tradition, however, is coming to an end.
Under the Fiorentinos, La Sirena typically closed for vacation in May and reopened in October. Under the new ownership, the restaurant will operate year-round.
The biggest changes involve the menu, wine program and drinks.
"It's important for us to reopen with our identity," Mr. Gaudelet said. "But the menu is still rooted in traditional Italian dishes."
Some familiar items may return in updated form and new dishes will be added. Guests will immediately notice cocktails like negronis, which a full liquor license makes possible for the first time.
Mr. Gaudelet said buying the cellar was an essential part of the deal for preserving a Grand Award-caliber wine program. Besides maintaining the Italian-focused collection the Fiorentinos assembled, he plans to add about 300 French wines, a nod to his roots.
The redesign helmed by Mrs. Gaudelet incorporates work from local artisans, including custom glass, mosaics and decorative elements inspired by Roman and Mediterranean themes.
"It was extremely important that we involve the community, knowing the very big shoes we are filling," Mr. Gaudelet said.
Looking ahead
Both the former and future owners describe the transition less as a reinvention and more as a continuation.
For Mr. Fiorentino, that means accepting that a restaurant cannot remain frozen in time.
For Mr. Gaudelet, it means preparing it for a new generation.
"La Sirena is timeless because it has been here for 40 years," he said. "Now we have to prepare it for the next 30."
That balancing act between honoring the past while building for the future will shape the next chapter of one of Palm Beach County's most celebrated restaurants.
Diana Biederman is the Palm Beach Post's food & restaurant writer. Care to share news tips about the local dining scene? Please send them to dbiederman@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: New owners for beloved West Palm Beach Italian dining icon | Exclusive
