Gianni Licari transformed a job loss into a culinary journey, blending Sicilian flavors with a welcoming dining experience in Hudsonville and Grand Rapids.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It was a fateful thing, some 14 years ago, when Gianni Licari lost his job in the pharmaceutical industry.
The very next day, he started making pizzas and quickly realized he’d enjoy making a career of feeding people.
Now, with restaurant locations in Hudsonville and Grand Rapids, he’s serving up Italian cuisine inspired by the food of his childhood.
“If you go to the streets of Sicily, you’ll find our menu to be in Sicily,” said Licari. “So, we have penne, panellae, svincini, arancini, we have a lot of those items on our menu. If you were in Sicily right now, you would see the same things.”
Licari says he wants to give customers a full “hospitality experience” but not too fussy. He says the restaurant is often seen as a fine dining destination but he wants it to be known for a come-as-you-ARE experience.
“We would love for you to come in dressed up in a suit and tie,” said Licari. But you can come in a t-shirt and flip-flops in the summer. We don’t care. We just want to be able to give you a great dining experience.”
Licari’s also offers a great happy hour experience.
“So our happy hour is Monday through Thursday,” explained Licari. “We do a personal pizza with two toppings or bruschetta and then you can get a glass of wine or a glass of beer and that’s 15 dollars. And then Monday is martini night so you get three bucks off of any martini that we make in-house, our signature martinis. Tuesday is three dollars off all of our cocktails – so any signature cocktail that we make in-house, and of course, wine Wednesday. Most people do wine Wednesday, but we do half off all of our bottles of house wine – so you get a bottle of wine for 15 dollars.”
Diners will most certainly want to end their meal with Licari’s housemade desserts.
Among the choices, there’s cannoli and tiramisu, and a new addition to the menu, lemon mascarpone cake, as described by Gianni Licari: “So the base is made with lemon base cake and olive oil. And then the mascarpone sits on the top and it’s finished with a lemon curd and then crushed pistachios. It’s amazing.”
Check out Licari’s in Hudsonville or Grand Rapids. They’re open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. See their full menu at www.LicarisPizzaKitchen.com.
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Dining and Cooking