A Touch of Italy, the popular Italian restaurant at 6629 Black Horse Pike in Egg Harbor Township, is getting closer to reopening.
The restaurant is hoping for an October opening, after all necessary permits and licenses have been secured.
The management is holding a job fair this Wednesday and Thursday, September 17-18, from noon until 5 pm at the restaurant.
A Touch of Italy is looking for energetic, positive people to work in positions including sous chef, line cooks, food prep, bartenders, wait staff, bussers, and food runners.
New Owners at A Touch of Italy
The Palladino family sold the restaurant to partners Lou Freedman and Holly Pugh in mid-2022.
The new owners were taking reservations for their first Easter dinner at the restaurant in early April 2023 when a fire broke out in an old freezer late one night and did extensive smoke damage to A Touch of Italy.
As Lou Freedman told me, what followed was a frustrating 2-year period of dealing with insurance claims, revised plans, and ensuring that the older log cabin building met modern-day building codes.
Freedman, who also owns the Inn at Sugar Hill in Mays Landing and Bocca Coal Fired Bistro in Margate, thinks that the wait will be worth it for the newly remodeled A Touch of Italy.
The New Touch of Italy
Because of the fire, most of A Touch of Italy is new and improved. Almost all of the restaurant equipment and furnishings were replaced, and the place looks beautiful.
Ceilings have been raised, a new, larger bar and stage area has replaced the old trattoria, and one room was designed as a speakeasy. A wine cellar has been added.
The day I toured the restaurant this summer, workers were putting the finishing touches on renovations to the building’s distinctive stone exterior wall. The restaurant’s stunning fireplace has been repointed.
Plans are in place for a covered outdoor patio area in the back, featuring a bar and stage.
We will keep you updated with a reopening date as soon as it is known.
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Dining and Cooking