It's about food, family at Luigi's Italian Restaurant

Luigi's Italian Restaurant, with locations in Angleton and Alvin, is owned and operated by Antonio Haxhiraj.

Antonio Haxhiraj moved to the United States in 2001 from Italy to work in his family's business, Luigi's Italian Restaurant.

Now, in 2012, Haxhiraj is the owner of two Luigi's restaurants around the state, one in Angleton and another in Alvin.

It all started for his family in 1977 when his grandfather opened the first Luigi's in Brooklyn. Since then, the family has started seven similar restaurants around the country.

As another member of the successful restaurateur lineage, it was evident Haxhiraj should continue the tradition of Luigi's restaurants.

When Haxhiraj came to the U.S. in 2001 to work for Luigi Jr. at the family restaurant, he soon moved to Oklahoma to start his own part of the family chain.

In 2010, Haxhiraj made his way to Pearland to try his luck at opening a Luigi's restaurant there. Haxhiraj said he likes living in Pearland and that while the Pearland Luigi's location has since closed, he's had success with the business overall so far.

"The restaurant is going well in Texas," he said. "My restaurants are in the chamber of commerce; it brings (in) more customers."

Haxhiraj's family is spread out across the United States; he has four brothers and two sisters around the country. Haxhiraj also is the father of a young boy.

Haxhiraj said everything at Luigi's is fresh, and he added that all of the food they serve there is delicious.

"We cook what the people order," he said. "Nothing is frozen here. We cook with olive oil. We use fresh ingredients. We make fresh dough and pizza dough every day."

Haxhiraj said he likes to employ locals, so he seeks to hire people from within the community for each of his locations.

As far as fun goes, in his spare time, Haxhiraj enjoys swimming in local pools and fishing. He also takes hunting trips around the state when he is able to find the time.

About Antonio Haxhiraj
Age: 35
Community Connection: Resident of Pearland
Fast Fact: His family owns eight Italian restaurants around the country.