Earlier this month, downtown Rutland welcomed what is currently the only sit-down Italian restaurant in the area.
Located at 22 Center St., Nonna’s Italian Ristorante marks Walt and Lynn Manney’s third local eatery, along with being Sugar and Spice and Jones’ Donuts and Bakery.
In a recent interview, Walt Manney said they are excited to keep meeting the needs of the local community.
“The need is very strong for a dinner restaurant in the Rutland area … hopefully this is the start of people investing in the community, investing to the need,” he said.
When asked about the reasoning behind opening an Italian restaurant, Manney noted several respected ones have closed in recent years.
“I have to travel an hour to get Italian food. We had an opportunity. I like the idea that we had several Italian places in this area several years ago and they faded away,” he said.
Before Nonna’s, the location was home to Taso on Center, a restaurant owned by Jay Sabataso until his recent decision to retire from the restaurant industry.
The Manneys have since established an Italian atmosphere — repainting the walls, adding decorations and, of course, designing the menu.
Sabataso’s previous staff, however, stuck around.
“We have a fabulous staff,” said Manney.
Head Chef Gavin Tyson explained the philosophy behind the menu.
“The menu is a compilation of like the old school Italian meals that were here previously. So, you had like Sal’s, you had The Palms, just like a lot of recognizable names. … (The menu) is really simple, it’s straightforward and approachable for the community,” said Tyson.
Manney named their lasagna, chicken piccata and eggplant Parmesan as popular items thus far, adding that they have gluten-free and vegan options as well.
Their plan, he said, is to gauge the popularity of the menu and incorporate new meals through specials, beginning in the next few weeks.
Hal Issente, executive director of the Downtown Rutland Partnership, shared his experience dining at Nonna’s soft opening on Nov. 8.
“It was really a nice experience, and I immediately felt comfortable walking into the restaurant,” he said, noting Manney and his daughter, Erica’s, hospitality. “When you walked in, they immediately fresh bread in a basket and olive oil to dip it in, and I was really impressed by the diversity of offerings that they have.”
Despite only being a soft opening, Manney noted a significant turnout. He said business has been steady since thanks, in part, to promotion from the DRP.
Issente said the DRP’s Facebook post promoting the new restaurant quickly garnered over 1,000 likes and many positive comments.
“Everyone has been incredibly excited for Nonna’s to come downtown, and the second the sign went on the window, people were instantly excited that an Italian restaurant is coming,” said Issente.
The Manneys and staff said they’re excited to serve the community and hopefully become a local staple.
“Just becoming a staple of the community is important. The way people talk about Sal’s or The Palms or these older restaurants. A lot of things happen in the world, I think, and the one thing that usually stops people from the confusion and the fuss in the world is food,” said Tyson.
“We’re here to make sure the needs are being met from our employees, our staff, and we believe we’re creating a great product for the public,” added Manney.
Nonna’s is open Thursday through Monday, 4 to 9 p.m.