GUILDERLAND, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Tesoro Italian Restaurant, located at 2080 Western Avenue in Guilderland’s Hamilton Square, is closing after 15 years. Owner and chef Raffaele Sainato is retiring.

“I’m retiring so I can be with my family,” said Sainato. “We just had a granddaughter this year.”

Sainato emigrated to Albany from Calabria, Italy in 1974. He began his career at the Italian American Community Center and went on to become Head Chef at Michele Da Verona in 1983. In 1992, he became head chef at Lombardo’s in downtown Albany. In September 2008, Sainato opened Tesoro along with his sous chef Abdullah Zinneddine.

“I want to thank all my customers and everything for following me for so long,” said Sainato. “I’ve been a chef for 40 years so people have been following me wherever I’ve been.”

The restaurant’s last day will be June 30. Tesoro is open noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, noon to 8 p.m. on Friday, and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. You can view the menu on the Tesoro website.