All it took to connect the Rillito River to the Mediterranean Sea was a shared respect for Old World wisdom and an abiding love of hometown, plus a little inspiration from Uncle Joe.

This confluence of culinary cultures is now on display at Zio Peppe, a new restaurant co-owned by Tucson natives and longtime chefs Mat Cable and Devon Sanner. The name of the eatery at 6502 E. Tanque Verde Road was inspired by Cable’s Uncle Joe – Zio Peppe in Italian – Joe Sottosanti, who opened Tucson’s first Sicilian pizzeria four decades ago.