The voice would carry from the back of the kitchen to the front of the pizzeria, greeting Villa Milano patrons with a song from an opera before they could even order a slice.

“People would be like, ‘Is that the radio?’ Nazlije Bekteshi, who also goes by Nancy, said in an interview. “I’m like, ‘No, that’s my dad.' ”

Eventually, people started to request the voice for their birthdays. So Donald Bekteshi would emerge from the kitchen and sing “Happy Birthday,” with his white apron around his waist, swinging his arms to the words for emphasis. The ritual was part of the familial atmosphere Donald fostered that's made Villa Milano, in Manhasset, central to the community, longtime patrons said.

Donald and his brother Eli, sons of Albanian immigrants, grew up in Brooklyn and opened Villa Milan

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