Aurora Honouree POG 2022
Marco Iacovetta is the Portraits of Giving Aurora honouree for 2022. He co-owns Joia Ristorante and Wine Bar with his brother Eugenio. Their family business was first established in 1997 in Aurora, and they also have a location in Newmarket. Marco and Eugenio are both chefs and wine lovers. They love travelling to Italy when they can to enhance their authentic Italian cuisine and learn from sommeliers and vintners, while focusing on local ingredients, from-scratch recipes, and delicious daily specials to serve their patrons from all over York Region. They are committed to excellence, delighted to create culinary masterpieces, and happily provide their friends and neighbours with an authentic fine dining experience.
Marco believes that giving back to the community we live in will benefit all of us in the future. Raising money for our local hospital in Newmarket, Southlake Regional Health Centre, is a great way to help build extra facilities to accommodate ill family members and friends in their time of need.
The most memorable of these moments for Marco were during Joia’s annual fundraiser and golf tournament in support of Southlake. Prior to the pandemic, they hosted this tournament each September in loving memory of their mother who, sadly, passed away from cancer in 2014. She continues to inspire Marco daily to help others, recognizing the difference his charitable endeavours will make to those going through similar experiences as his family did.
Marco fondly reflects on how rewarding it was to watch the Margaret Bahen Hospice (MBH) being built. He says that it's a wonderful feeling knowing they helped contribute to this amazing place through their donations to the Southlake Regional Health Centre Foundation who led the fundraising campaign for construction of MBH.
The Iacovettas have provided significant financial assistance and encouragement to all of York Region through their generous philanthropic efforts.
Family is what truly matters to Marco. It always has. Although the pandemic was a great distress to their restaurant business and that long hours under relatively normal circumstances can be very demanding, it reminded him of what is really important. He values being with his family, his wife and two children, now more than ever and aspires to create more balance in his life moving forward. A great message for us all.
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