Vincent Mandola
STHS Class of 1961
Attended 1957-1961
Vincent “Bubba” Anthony Mandola, St. Thomas class of 1961, was a Vietnam War veteran who served as head cook of his platoon — a fitting preview of the life to come. After returning home, he married his childhood sweetheart Mary Virginia Provenzano and together they opened Nino’s in 1977 in a small building on West Dallas Street. What began as one cozy neighborhood Italian restaurant grew into a full city block of Tuscan and Sicilian dining experiences — Nino’s, Vincent’s (1984), Grappino di Nino (1996), along with La Gelateria and Pronto Cucinino.
In the early 1980s, he was one of five STHS alumni investors who launched Damian’s Cucina Italiana alongside his younger brother Damian ’71, cousins Frankie B. Mandola ’65 and Ciro Lampasas ’51, and Johnny Carrabba Sr. Known for his signature starched shirts, infectious wit, and the ability to light up any room, Bubba personally greeted guests at every table and treated each visitor like family. “If we didn’t have a large family dinner on Sunday,” he once said, “the day wasn’t complete.”
He passed away July 19, 2020 at the age of 77. His wife Mary and daughters Vinceanne and Dana carried on the legacy until the restaurants closed in August 2022 after 45 years of service to Houston.
