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The ‘Disney World’ of restaurants: Emily’s Garden replaces Fort Lauderdale’s O-B House with a blooming concept

The new collaborative eatery is owned by the family behind Pummarola Pizzeria Napoletana.

Fernando Mato is the executive chef supervising all vendors at Emily's Garden in downtown Fort Lauderdale's Himmarshee Village. (Scott Luxor/Contributor)
Fernando Mato is the executive chef supervising all vendors at Emily’s Garden in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Himmarshee Village. (Scott Luxor/Contributor)
ֱ entertainment reporter Rod Stafford Hagwood.
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Pamela and Peter Deibele sit at a wrought-iron table in the cozy al fresco area of Emily’s Garden restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, vibing on the chill sounds coming from a DJ, the small bites and wines being passed around by servers, and the afterglow from a rainstorm two hours before.

“I think it’s charming,” Pamela says. “It reminds me of an Italian garden. It’s like a little courtyard that’s hidden. And the bocce ball, of course. Who doesn’t want to play bocce ball?”

Pamela and Peter Deibele enjoy the ambience at Emily's Garden in downtown Fort Lauderdale. (Scott Luxor/Contributor)
Pamela and Peter Deibele enjoy the ambience at Emily’s Garden in downtown Fort Lauderdale. (Scott Luxor/Contributor)

The Fort  Lauderdale couple are at a family-and-friends party for Emily’s Garden, an eatery that blossomed in the former space of O-B House in Himmarshee Village downtown, next to the Museum of Discovery and Science.

Around the perimeter of the outdoor space is a burger station with grills and a trailer offering gourmet coffee, all a part of vendor collaborations at the venue with more to come.

Owned by the Mele brothers — the family behind the boutique chain of Pummarola Pizzeria Napoletana restaurants — Emily’s Garden has a unique concept.

“What we plan to do here is put together some great artists in the food industry,” explains Larry Mele. “So we got the best coffee, which is On The Run Coffee Bar and pizza, the best pizza from Pummarola. We have a guy from Miami called Burgermeister, who does an incredible burger.

“And we have, in the kitchen from Boca Raton, Patio Tapas & Beer, and breakfast and lunch with chef Diego [Pasqualicchio, of River Café], who is an Italian chef … Fernando Mato is the executive chef supervising all vendors.”

Standing, from left, are brothers Davis, Larry and Loris Mele accompanying their seated father, Battista Mele. The family is also behind the Pummarola Pizzeria Napolitana concept. (Scott Luxor/Contributor)
Standing, from left, are brothers Davis, Larry and Loris Mele accompanying their seated father, Battista Mele. The family is also behind the Pummarola Pizzeria Napolitana concept. (Scott Luxor/Contributor)

The idea is for diners to enjoy varied fare.

“Some people can eat a burger, we have pizza, we have coffee, tapas and wine … 300 different wines,” Davis Mele adds. “In a couple of months, we’re ready to sell drinks, a full bar. For me, it’s like Disney World.”

Another brother, , is a certified pizzaiolo and the pizza master for both Emily’s Garden and the Fort Lauderdale location of Pummarola, which is right around the corner. He predicts people will visit their newest venture for more than the menus: “People will come not only for the food and drink, but also to be in a place together … enjoying all of the different cultures.”

The Neapolitan band of brothers opened Emily’s Garden in September but have been working since April on the new concept — morphing the 120-seat outdoor area from gravel to a combination of stone-paved and artificial turf. Inside, where there’s seating for 30 guests, the walls are festooned with the works of local artists and thrift-store-chic photos.

Emily's Garden in downtown Fort Lauderdale's Himmarshee Village now occupies the space of the former O-B House. (Scott Luxor/Contributor)
Emily’s Garden in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Himmarshee Village now occupies the space of the former O-B House. (Scott Luxor/Contributor)

That small indoor dining area, designed to evoke a lounge or living room, is equally important, according to general manager Clint LeFevre.

“You might be here with four people, but those four people are free to mix and mingle with the other people that we have out here,” he says from beside the small bocce ball court, before gesturing toward the building. “Then we have inside, where it’s a little bit more of, I guess, an introverted way of socializing. It’s more like the four people that you have at your table.

 

“The music that we have outside also plays through our speakers on the inside, so it’ll be set at more of an ambient level, as opposed to entertainment level,” he adds. “So if you want to come in and sit down and have a bottle of wine and read a book, you could do that in there with the music in the background. It’s still a really comfortable place. However you choose to socialize, we want to be your place to do that.”

Bertha Hurtado, who owns On The Run Coffee Bar, recalls the first time Larry Mele showed her the space: “As soon as I walked in, his energy was just so genuine. He introduced me to Emily’s Garden, and I honestly, genuinely fell in love with the concept. It’s beautiful. I saw tremendous potential right away, there was no question, there was no doubt in my mind.”

The concept will work, the Meles insist, because their business model allows them to manage Emily’s Garden as well as their Pummarola restaurants throughout the tricounty area. There are also two locations in Spain, in Ibiza and Barcelona. The seven Mele brothers run the brand.

“We are a big family,” says. “We’re busy, but I think Pummarola has a secret … We allow up to 60% of any concept that we build to be owned by the employees. So just like Pummarola here [in Fort Lauderdale], I think employees own 70%. So we kept 30% and therefore it’s not a problem finding employees because they are partners.”

Andrea Costa rides his tricycle at the new Emily's Garden. The 120-seat outdoor area was transformed from gravel to a combination of stone-paved and artificial turf. (Scott Luxor/Contributor)
Andrea Costa rides his tricycle at the new Emily’s Garden. The 120-seat outdoor area was transformed from gravel to a combination of stone-paved and artificial turf. (Scott Luxor/Contributor)

The Meles may be a big family, but it has no one named Emily. So what’s with the restaurant’s moniker?

Well, it comes from a dog. To be exact, the dog of former property owner Amanda Mercede.

Larry Mele explains: “There was a big developer who wanted the property, but she was very attached to it. It was like, ‘No, I’m not gonna sell it to them. I’ll sell it to you.’ ”

The only thing she insisted on was that they keep the garden space. The Meles went one step further.

“The owner of this property had a dog, Emily, very sweet. It’s a dalmatian,” Larry Mele says. “So I say, look, I’ll call it Emily’s Garden.”

Emily’s Garden is located at 327 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale. Visit or call 954-955-9582. 

Emily Gonzalez serves food and drinks at Emily's Garden, which has seating for 30 guests inside. (Scott Luxor/Contributor)
(Scott Luxor/Contributor)
Emily Gonzalez serves food and drinks at Emily’s Garden, which has seating for 30 guests inside. (Scott Luxor/Contributor)
The outside of Emily's Garden, which replaced O-B House in downtown Fort Lauderdale's Himmarshee Village. (Scott Luxor/Contributor)
The outside of Emily’s Garden, which replaced O-B House in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Himmarshee Village. (Scott Luxor/Contributor)

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