Northeast Iowa has traditionally been home to many well-known restaurants – from establishments serving unique or award-winning burgers, to pizza places with iconic recipes – but one family is looking to add a new must-visit stop to that list with the newly opened Luigi Italian Cuisine and Bakery in downtown Ossian.
“I started by career at a well-known Italian restaurant in New York City where I worked for 15 years before moving to Minneapolis (Minnesota),” said owner and head chef Luis Jara. “I had tried many Italian restaurants around the area but just couldn’t find one which was authentic and tasted like real Italian food, so in 2016 I pursued my dream and started my own restaurant in Rushford (Minnesota).”
A few years late 2019, Jara opened a second location in Onalaska, Wisconsin, but decided to close after facing many staffing challenges during and after the pandemic. In the years since, Luis still had the desire to keep doing what he loved by bringing authentic Italian recipes to the people of the Midwest.
“I had been looking for good locations which had a good kitchen and facility to start a new location, looking at a few spots in northeast Iowa,” continued Luis, a native of Ecuador who moved to the United States in 1985. “I eventually ended up looking at this spot in Ossian and knew that it would be perfect for what I wanted,”
Throughout December 2025, he and his family, including his wife, Iris, and children Isaac, Cindy, and Jennifer began transitioning the downtown Ossian establishment, which was formerly known as Shooters and more recently The Local.
“When people started seeing us working there and the moving truck out front, they started stopping in to see what was going on,” noted Luis. “I was pleasantly surprised to find out how excited so many people were and how welcoming the community was to have a new restaurant coming to their town. I have never experienced that with any of my previous openings.”
The Jara family spent many late nights getting the building ready and transitioning the décor to a more Italian feel.
“We did some painting and moved a few things around to suit our needs, but it really didn’t take a lot to get up and running,” Luis admitted. “We opened on January 7 and had a great turnout, which I was very happy with.”
The family is currently operating the restaurant themselves, but are looking to hire additional cooks, servers, bartenders, and food prep help to allow for expanded business hours.
“We are currently open Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.,” said Luis. “That gives my family and I a few days off so we don’t get burned out. But, if I can find some more help, I will likely offer expanded hours and additional days of being open.”
He explained the menu offered at Luigi Italian Cuisine is similar to what has been offered at his previous spots. The family takes pride in making everything from scratch with many homemade secret recipes, which Jara learned from his experience in New York City.
“I was granted permission by the owner to use his recipes, which was his blessing to me when I told him I wanted to open my own restaurant in 2016,” Luis said. “He is also the inspiration behind the name of the restaurant because when I first started working under him, I told him my name was Luis; but he said that wasn’t ‘Italian enough,’ so he called me Luigi.”
Along with a full offering of many great gluten-free Italian staple entrees, Luigi Italian Cuisine offers made-from-scratch deserts and a full bar selection.
“I’ve spent a lot of time working in big cities and gained a lot of my experience there, but I’ve discovered that nothing beats living and working in a small town,” closed Luis. “I am excited to be open here in Ossian and everyone I’ve met so far has been grateful to have us here. Once we become a little more established, I look forward to making this my home.”
For more details on Ossian’s newest downtown restaurant, including a full menu, check out Luigi Italian Cuisine & Bakery on Facebook or online at www.illuigieats.info.
Dining and Cooking