Second time around proves successful for restaurateur

Restaurant consultant Louie Spetrini moved from Los Angeles to the Tampa Bay area to help open Sea Salt, a fine-dining hotspot at Bill Edwards’ Sundial shopping and entertainment complex in downtown St. Petersburg.

That was four years ago. Spetrini, 59, fell in love with the Sunshine City and never left. Now he's the managing partner of Nueva Cantina, a nascent local chain of Mexican restaurants. The model, a relaxed, family vibe with a tagline of "That Mexican Place," has done well enough that Spetrini and his partners are priming for their third location in three years.