Trattoria Lucca, Ken Vedrinski’s wildly popular Bogard Street restaurant that closed in 2020, had a signature service that set it apart from other local Italian eateries.
Each Monday, patrons could enjoy appetizers, pastas and main dishes — all served family-style — for a set price. That type of communal offering takes center stage at Volpe, Vedrinski’s new Italian restaurant that’s now open in Charleston.
The restaurant’s March 21 debut came about a year after Spanish restaurant Laurel vacated the 161 Rutledge Ave. space near the Medical University of South Carolina. The interior has been completely renovated since and “looks very Tuscan,” Vedrinski said.
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Mary Tinkler, Pamela Watson and Holley Neary have dinner at Volpe Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Memorabilia from Ken Vedrinski’s cooking history, including the signs for Trattoria Lucca, decorate the wall inside his new restaurant, Volpe, named after his grandmother, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
The Malloy family, Alex and wife Ryan share a family-style dinner with their children Augusta, 9, and Sky, 13 at Volpe on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Naa-Adei Kotey and Rasheedah Harrison join the dinner crowd at Volpe, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Bartender Michael Germain talks with Lisa Thomas and Milton Thomas Volpe Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Michael Aach, Mitch Banchik and Randy Shehady meet at Volpe on Rutledge Avenue for dinner Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Friends Claudia Robinson, Janice Johnson and Carol Castro eat family-style at Volpe on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Ken Vedrinski talks with customers at his new restaurant, Volpe, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Danielle Theobald enters Volpe and greets friend Amy Clark for dinner Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Danielle Theobald and friend Amy Clark are seated by Olivia Stanley at Volpe for dinner Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Appetizers including a shrimp dish, a farro salad and mushrooms served at Volpe, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Ken Vedrinski cooks at his new restaurant, Volpe, named after his grandmother, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Mary Tinkler, Pamela Watson and Holley Neary have dinner at Volpe Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Memorabilia from Ken Vedrinski’s cooking history, including the signs for Trattoria Lucca, decorate the wall inside his new restaurant, Volpe, named after his grandmother, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
The Malloy family, Alex and wife Ryan share a family-style dinner with their children Augusta, 9, and Sky, 13 at Volpe on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Naa-Adei Kotey and Rasheedah Harrison join the dinner crowd at Volpe, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Bartender Michael Germain talks with Lisa Thomas and Milton Thomas Volpe Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Michael Aach, Mitch Banchik and Randy Shehady meet at Volpe on Rutledge Avenue for dinner Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Friends Claudia Robinson, Janice Johnson and Carol Castro eat family-style at Volpe on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Ken Vedrinski talks with customers at his new restaurant, Volpe, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Danielle Theobald enters Volpe and greets friend Amy Clark for dinner Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Danielle Theobald and friend Amy Clark are seated by Olivia Stanley at Volpe for dinner Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Appetizers including a shrimp dish, a farro salad and mushrooms served at Volpe, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Ken Vedrinski cooks at his new restaurant, Volpe, named after his grandmother, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
The chef changes the menu every night at Coda Del Pesce, his seafood-forward Isle of Palms restaurant. The same goes at Volpe, where a four-course family-style meal costs $65 per person. (Patrons have the option to order items a la carte, too.)
Selections during Volpe’s first few weeks have included a farro salad with rock shrimp, chicken with caramelized fennel, tubular paccheri noodles with braised pork and tomato sauce, and swordfish with a brown butter vinaigrette and capers. Each guest who opts for family-style receives multiple antipasti selections, one pasta, two main entrees and dessert, Vedrinkski said.
For wines, diners can expect to find 20 Italian bottles. Each of the 10 white wines are $44, while the reds cost $48 for a bottle.
This straightforward offering aligns with Vedrinski’s method of cooking at Volpe, where he’s leaning into the type of Italian American offering one might find in New York’s Little Italy or Boston’s North End.
He believes there’s room to amplify what some of the establishments in those neighborhoods are doing by using local ingredients and, at times, the type of light and bright flavors fans of Coda Del Pesce have grown to adore. But Vedrinski said he’s not attempting to reinvent the culinary wheel.
Naa-Adei Kotey and Rasheedah Harrison join the dinner crowd at Volpe, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Charleston.
Grace Beahm Alford/Staff
“You’re not going to come here and wonder how I did anything,” Vedrinski said.
Patrons who visit Volpe can expect to receive plenty of food, but they shouldn’t leave feeling overly full or weighed down, Vedrinski said. And unlike most sit-down restaurants, plates start hitting the table within minutes of a guest sitting down.
Volpe is open from 5-9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 5-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, follow Volpe on Instagram @volpe_chs.