Derby native Nick DiGiovanni vowed Monday to “boost up the economy one panini at a time.”
DiGiovanni is the owner of DiGiovanni’s Cafe and Catering at 344 Main St. in Ansonia, which held a grand opening Monday (Oct. 27) afternoon.
The spot was formerly home to the Safari Caffeine Lounge, which closed earlier this year after years in business.
DiGiovanni, 28, said Monday that he jumped at the opportunity to start a business when the location opened up.
He spent about four months renovating the space before opening to customers earlier this month.
A graduate of the celebrated culinary arts program at Rhode Island’s Johnson & Wales University, DiGiovanni, a third-generation Italian-American, has worked in food service for nearly a decade in a career that took him to as far away as Germany in 2006, where he worked for FIFA during soccer’s World Cup.
He even cooked for German Chancellor Angela Merkel while overseas, he said Monday.
(Added bonus: Italy’s soccer team, the Azzurri, won the tournament.)
The business owner’s Italian heritage is reflected in the decor, with the red, white, and green of the Italian flag a motif throughout, extending even to the fire department’s box alarm on the sidewalk in front of the cafe.
DiGiovanni said he wants the business to bring a family-friendly touch of Italy to Main Street, from a menu offering paninis, grinders, cannoli, just to name a few items, to an espresso bar stocked with Lavazza, Italy’s favorite coffee.
The business itself is a family affair, with DiGiovanni’s mother, Donna, making all the pastries, and a cousin of DiGiovanni’s also working there.
The business’ four employees are all from Ansonia or Derby, he said.
Mayor David Cassetti stopped by Monday’s ceremony and offered encouragement to DiGiovanni, who caters for the mayor’s nonprofit UNICO Club.
Click the play button on the videos below to see Cassetti and DiGiovanni talk about the business, and the ribbon-cutting.
Valley Chamber of Commerce President Bill Purcell said DiGiovanni’s is just the latest eatery to provide positive momentum for food-related businesses in the Valley. He noted the chamber’s “Valley Restaurant Week” included 14 restaurants last year, and this year grew to 24.
“The Valley has become a hotbed for new and exciting culinary experiences,” Purcell said.
Gregg Seccombe, the chairman of the city’s Economic Planning Commission, of Seccombe’s Men’s Shop on Main Street, said he’ll be stopping by often himself.
“We needed a deli (downtown),” he said.
Sheila O’Malley, the city’s economic development director, said DiGiovanni’s will complement other downtown restaurants — Crave, Koi, The Pantry, and The Original Antonio’s.
“Businesses feed off one another and this a positive sign that we have a restaurant cluster on Main Street,” O’Malley said in a statement. “When it comes to dining, people like variety and with the addition of DiGiovanni’s and all the other great restaurants on Main Street, we are offering that to visitors and residents.”
Details
DiGiovanni’s Cafe and Catering is located at 344 Main St.
The phone number is 203 – 734-4444
Click here for more information, including a menu and hours, from the business’ website.
Click here to visit its Facebook page.
