A taste of Italy is coming to Penticton.
Caffe dsa国际传媒橧talia, a new authentic Italian cafe, is set to open up shop any week now.
The space at 449 Main Street was left vacant in September when Saint Germaine Cafe and Gallery called it quits after a six-year run in Penticton.
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Once Saint Germaine shut down, Don Gigliotti pounced on the opportunity to bring his dream of opening an authentic Italian cafe to life.
Gigliotti, who also owns Corleonesa国际传媒檚 Pizzeria on Main Street, said he has a vision of bringing a unique cafe with a distinctly Italian vibe to Penticton. It will be the citysa国际传媒檚 only Italian coffee spot.
Caffe dsa国际传媒橧talia wonsa国际传媒檛 be like what you would find at a run-of-the-mill chain cafe sa国际传媒� Gigliottisa国际传媒檚 newest endeavour is all about representing the Bel Paese.
From paninis to biscotti and, of course, Italian espresso, everything served at Caffe dsa国际传媒橧talia will be what you would find at a typical cafe in Milan or Venice. The coffee beans are imported straight from Italy.
After a sip of a proper Italian coffee, it will be hard to go back to Starbucks, said Gigliotti.
sa国际传媒淢ost of the coffee places heresa国际传媒� they want a Salt Spring Island coffee or a Kelowna coffee. My coffee comes from Italy,sa国际传媒� Gigliotti said.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 the product that Isa国际传媒檓 bringing in thatsa国际传媒檚 going to differentiate me from the next guy.sa国际传媒�
While prices could still change, Gigliottisa国际传媒檚 menu sticks to the classics and keeps prices fair. For coffee, Caffe dsa国际传媒橧talia will serve the staples: espresso, cappuccinos, lattes, americano, mochas and drip coffee. All espresso and steamed milk based drinks are $4, espresso and americanos will be $3, while customers will be able to grab a drip coffee for $2.
For food, the menu features a variety of paninis for $7 , Italian soup for $6 and various Italian pastries like biscotti, cannoli and panettone sa国际传媒� an Italian type of sweet bread originally from Milan.
| Panettone is an Italian type of sweet bread loaded with candied citron, lemon zest and raisins, and baked in a cylinder, giving it a distinctive look. (Pixabay photo) |
Despite what many people assume, Gigliotti was born in B.C., not Italy. His parents immigrated from Italy to Canada and Gigliotti often visits the country.
sa国际传媒淧eople cansa国际传媒檛 believe I was born here because my voice and the way I carry myself but all my heritage is Italian,sa国际传媒� he said.
Coffee culture in Italy is different than in Canada, and Gigliotti is excited to let Pentictonites know what itsa国际传媒檚 all about.
sa国际传媒淢ost people donsa国际传媒檛 know a lot about what Isa国际传媒檝e got, like even what a cannoli is,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淪o Isa国际传媒檒l be here educating people and keeping things different.sa国际传媒�
For those who donsa国际传媒檛 know, cannoli are tasty Italian pastries consisting of tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling usually containing ricotta.
Since he moved to Penticton from East Vancouver, Gigliotti has a history of giving back to the community. In March, he offered free pizza to people affected by layoffs in the food industry, eventually leading him to give free pizza to anybody in need of food.
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He plans to keep that giving tradition going at Caffe dsa国际传媒橧talia, with a charity fundraiser in the works for the cafesa国际传媒檚 opening day.
Opening a new business during the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a unique challenge for Gigliotti, but he made it work in the end. After over two-months of renovations, which required additional COVID-safety precautions, the cafe is almost ready to open.
The last hurdle is passing final inspection, which is coming up in the next few days.
Gigliotti expects to be up and running within one to two weeks from now. At the very latest, he expects the cafe will be open in the New Year.
As a life-long restauranteur, opening an authentic Italian coffee shop has always been a dream of Gigliottisa国际传媒檚. Once the opportunity arose, he wasnsa国际传媒檛 going to pass it up. Even though Gigliotti himself admits opening a business right now is a big risk, itsa国际传媒檚 a risk hesa国际传媒檇 likely take a million times over.
sa国际传媒淓verybody says you gotta be crazy to open a business during COVID,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 tough times but I have faith Isa国际传媒檒l draw people in.sa国际传媒�
jesse.day@pentictonwesternnews.com
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