The neighborhood was anticipating The Italian Deli Co. with bated breath. After The George closed on East Washington Boulevard, people asked when owner Gary Chaglasyan would open for business.
“It was amazing,” said Chaglasyan. “People were stopping by every day and asking when we would be open and if we could do anything for them. We have had amazing support from the community.”
Chaglasyan shared that people were sending cards congratulating them for opening. One lady in particular sent a postcard detailing how she was leaving for Ireland, but was hoping to be their first customer.
Councilmember Rick Cole showed up on opening day, expressing that local, small businesses like The Italian Deli Co. are the soul of the community. They provide the special taste and flavor of the community.
The concept for The Italian Deli Co. is Chaglasyan’s. He has been working in hospitality for more than 30 years, opening different concepts from American diners to Tibetan cuisine to Mexican cantinas. He has been the manager of American brands such as Chili’s and Johnny Rockets in Europe.
The Italian Deli Company has a variety of menu items.
(The Italian Deli Co./Submitted)
About two years ago, he arrived in the States from Europe and hit the ground running. He opened the first Flintridge Pizza Kitchen in La Cañada, which will soon change its name to The La Cañada Italian Deli and Pizza Kitchen.
“Since I have lived and worked in Europe, in Italy and Spain, I wanted to bring that Italian hospitality with the European feel to beautiful Pasadena,” Chaglasyan said. “The idea was to match the New York deli concept with an Italian restaurant feel in one and create that amazing experience. It’s all about the experience.”
When Chaglasyan saw the location on East Washington Boulevard, it was love at first site, particularly the big storefront windows. It took Chaglasyan and his team three months to build out the space, and they have been almost fully booked every evening since opening.
“Obviously, the goal is to create the right experience and give great service,” said Chaglasyan, “so we’re still working on that, and there are always some issues to improve on.”
According to Chaglasyan, every special concept has a great chef and “we were lucky to have chef Lalo and chef Antonio.”
The menu includes sandwiches on rolls baked daily by Enzo the Baker.
“What I brought from Italy is the piadino,” Chaglasyan said, which is described as a thin golden Italian flatbread, griddled and stuffed with ingredients like prosciutto, burrata or arugula.
The Italian Deli Company has a variety of menu items.
(The Italian Deli Co./Submitted)
The menu is more traditional; for instance, they serve pinza or pinsa instead of pizza.
“We use a certain dough that is fermented over 72 hours. It’s much fluffier and I would say healthier and less filling. We have great homemade pasta, salad, lasagna. We brought Caffè Vergnano from Italy. It is like the oldest coffee roasters in Italy, since 1882.”
The vibe of The Italian Deli Co. might be best illustrated by the video on the website’s homepage of the two old school dancers in disco outfits strutting and arm swinging in rhythm. Patrons should feel the spirit of New York’s Little Italy — right in the heart of Pasadena.
For Chaglasyan, he’s focused on building community.
“People are probably the most important for us,” he said, “and with every restaurant that I build it’s important that the restaurant become sort of the community hub where the locals can meet. I always say to our team that we’re creating an experience. It’s not just another Italian restaurant. There are too many out there. We want to be different.”
The Italian Deli Co.
WHERE: 1615 E. Washington Boulevard, Pasadena
CONTACT: 626-345-5300 and online at theitaliandeli.co.
Dining and Cooking