Where Hospitality Meets the Heart
From Cherries to Chicken Parm
For Piera and Sal Balsamo, food has always been more than a livelihood—it’s been the thread that stitched their lives together across continents.
Sal grew up in Brooklyn, NY, in the bustle of Italian restaurants owned by his father. Piera split her childhood between Italy and New York, helping her own parents in their fruit store and restaurants. In the early 1990s, fate—and Sal’s father—intervened. Sent to Italy on vacation with paternal instructions to visit a particular corner fruit store, Sal walked in and spotted “this beautiful young lady.”
“I kept going back to make believe I needed to buy fruit,” he laughs.
Piera remembers it just as clearly. “We clicked right away—but I did charge him.” Sal’s father would later joke about her “overcharging us for cherries.”
By 1995, Sal had brought Piera to the United States. They married, raised children, and in 2004 combined their lifelong food-service experience to open A.N.Y. Slice in Midlothian, Virginia.
For years, they balanced restaurant ownership and family life. As their children grew, Piera began working part-time at Passport Café, eventually moving into full-time with Catering Services for the benefits. She often went straight from campus to the restaurant, managing both worlds with steady determination.
When COVID hit, A.N.Y. Slice struggled. In February 2021, after much reflection, Sal and Piera closed the restaurant. Today, they work on opposite ends of the kitchen as Cook II’s in the Heilman Dining Center. Piera works in Catering; Sal works in the main kitchen.
They don’t miss restaurant ownership and avoid Italian restaurants, even when visiting New York. “Every time I try to eat at an Italian restaurant,” Piera says, “I think, I can do better than this.”
At home, she’s still the chef. She makes fresh pasta and, once a year, her mother’s Sicilian macaruna. Their children request home-cooked meals when they visit, and Sal is unabashed in his praise. “Her lasagna is the best I’ve ever tasted. Chicken parmesan is my favorite—and her chicken parm is amazing.”
After nearly 30 years of marriage, they’ve learned the recipe for longevity includes love, laughter, and the occasional argument.
“Not many marriages last 30 years,” Sal says, still clearly smitten.
Piera shrugs with a smile: “After so many years, I’m like, ehhh, what am I gonna do? I’ll keep him.”
Love, Served Daily
Working in foodservice brought Lakeisha and Jermaine Artis together. But when they met at St. Mary’s Hospital in 2022, neither of them expected their introduction to come with a side of forever.
A 20-year veteran of healthcare foodservice, Lakeisha had worked her way up from dietary aide when she was introduced to Jermaine as his new supervisor — a position he had hoped to land himself. What began as shared shifts and professional respect gradually turned into easy conversation, undeniable chemistry, and eventually, love. Today, they’ve been married for three years.
Jermaine arrived at the University of Richmond first, drawn by the promise of better hours and benefits. Nearly five years later, he’s still grateful for the opportunity. As a Cook II in Heilman Dining Center, he brings the lessons he learned from his mother into the kitchen each day. Whether he’s working the burger bar at Provisions 804 or mentoring interns on the pasta station, he’s in his element. His specialty — and Lakeisha’s favorite — is fried fish with honey butter cornbread.
During the day, Lakeisha serves as a dining room supervisor with Pinnacle Living. In the evenings and on weekends, she greets students as a cashier in Heilman Dining Center.
Shortly after their wedding, a serious health scare — when Jermaine was hospitalized and nearly lost twice — shifted their perspective. Since then, they’ve chosen to live more intentionally, traveling to Detroit, Las Vegas, Atlanta, New Jersey, and New York, attending concerts, and savoring life’s small, daily joys.
“I don’t move without him — I gotta ask Jermaine,” Lakeisha says with a smile. “I never had love like this before. I still get butterflies when I see my husband.”
Her advice for lasting love is simple: “Communication is key. Try not to go to bed mad. You should try to talk it out." Live for today because tomorrow is not promised.
A Recipe for Balance
For Kyle and Chinah, love is all about balance — and a good schedule.
Both have been part of the UR Dining team for four years. Kyle serves as lead in concessions, while Chinah works at Tyler’s. Though their paths at UR are different, their journey together began online, with a first date at Elephant Thai — a fitting start for a couple whose story blends cultures, careers, and complementary personalities.
Originally from Thailand, Chinah earned a degree in public relations and organized events for real estate companies before moving to the United States. Kyle, born in Colorado and raised in Richmond, spent nine years running a bakery at Kroger before turning down a management role to join Tyler’s.
“It was a better fit,” Kyle says. “In the bakery, I would have had no life, but here I get to go home at the end of the day. I have a schedule.”
That schedule matters. Together, they’re raising their four-year-old son, Jayden.
Their shared love of food doesn’t stop at work. Chinah has been baking frequently, taking custom cake and cookie orders, while Kyle has been diving into the art of fermented dough, continuing to expand his baking skills in new ways.
At home, Chinah prefers cooking Thai dishes — especially papaya salad, beef salad, and other spicy favorites. Though she bakes beautifully, she prefers fruit over sweets — and Kyle agrees.
They say they work because they’re opposites. “Our personalities complement each other,” Kyle shares. Chinah laughs, adding, “You learn from me a lot.”
This Valentine’s Day, their recipe is simple: balance, family, growth, and just the right amount of spice.
Being Funny Together
When Katie and Deryk first met at Virginia Tech, they likely didn’t realize they were building the foundation for both a partnership and a profession. As employees in food service in similar roles, they learned early on that they shared more than shifts and schedules — they shared a work ethic, a sense of humor, and a vision for what they wanted their future to look like.
Blacksburg was good to them, but they were eager to step into something new. With years of experience in university dining already under their belts, they knew they wanted to continue in that world — ideally somewhere with multiple opportunities to grow. One thing mattered deeply to them: working for a self-operated dining program, where decisions are made in-house, and teams can have a direct impact on students and campus culture.
Today, they’re both thriving in their careers —Katie is a floater manager at the Heilman Dining Center, and Deryk is a café manager at FlavUR.
Outside of work, their personalities shine in complementary ways. Deryk is a devoted heavy metal fan — the louder, the better — while Katie would happily choose something a little less headbanging. When it comes to dining out, however, they’re perfectly aligned. Mexican food is their go-to.
At home, they’re kept company by their dog, Banana Daniel — a name that sparks conversation and usually a laugh. Humor, in fact, is a cornerstone of their relationship. They describe themselves as “definitely best friends,” a title they wear proudly. They enjoy being funny together, finding joy in inside jokes and everyday moments.
If you ask them their secret to a happy marriage, the answer is simple: have a sense of humor. Life — and university dining — can be fast-paced and demanding. Being able to laugh together, especially when things get stressful, keeps them grounded and connected.