The name of the restaurant remains the same – Pietro’s at the Inn at Eagle Mountain – but new owners Richard and Diane Ferrarese now greet guests.

Before acquiring the business, the couple was regular customers of the fine dining Italian restaurant.

The Ferrarese family originally came from Tuscany province in Italy and operated restaurants for 30 years in the Boston area.

Richard Ferrarese is proud to serve selections from recipes handed down in the family. “Everything is homemade,” he said.

He began cooking Italian food when he was eight years old under the direction of his grandfather.

“He taught me everything about meatballs and how long the sauce is supposed to cook,” he said. His meat sauces simmer for 24 hours.

Freshness is foremost in meal preparation, he said. All sausages and pastas are homemade.

“We strive to be the ultimate Italian restaurant in the Fountain Hills area,” said Ferrarese. “It’s all about customer satisfaction.”

Entrees begin at $19 for lasagna and extend upward for regular menu selections and chef specials. A recent evening’s chef specials were a New York strip steak, strip steak and bucatini frutti di mare (pasta with shrimp, scallops, halibut, clams and mussels) each priced at $32.

Reservations are being accepted for New Year’s Eve. Dinners will begin at 5 p.m., followed by entertainment by the local Aging Hipsters and singer and composer Mike Annuzzi from California.

There is no cover charge. Guests will select their dinner choice from the menu. Special drink prices will be in place: draft beer, $4; well drinks, $7; and house wines, $7.

After the meal service ends at 8:30 p.m., a complimentary “finger food” buffet will be served.

Reservations can be made by calling 480-257-1199.

The restaurant can accommodate about 180 people indoors and on the patios. New heaters have been purchased.

For birthdays and anniversaries, patrons receive flowers. They also will decorate special occasion cakes.

“We go the extra mile,” Ferrarese stressed.

In addition to the owners, the business employs 10. Normally dinners are served from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.