Manuela Pizzi grew up in the restaurant business. Her father, Gino Pizzi, founded Ambrosia in Broad Ripple in 1979 and the family has since opened other eateries in the Indianapolis area under the umbrella of Ambrosia Hospitality Group.
She and her father soon will open a new Italian restaurant, independent of AHG, in the North Indy area.
Manuela Pizzi said she left Indy and the restaurant industry in the late 1990s, moving to New York and working in education until about two years ago.
“I was feeling kind of a need to transition out of education. And my father, who owned Blupoint (Coastal Kitchen), he was like, ‘I kind of need some help with the restaurant,’” she said. “So, I came back and helped him run Blupoint until he decided to retire.”
After her father sold Blupoint, Pizzi said, she went back to teaching, but realized she missed the hospitality industry – and so did her father.
“I really had enjoyed coming back into the restaurant,” she said. “It was like coming home and so, at some point during the winter, people started reaching out to us about some spaces that were available. And my dad and I just looked at each other and we’re like, ‘Do we do this? Let’s do it.”
They explored various locations and eventually chose a space at the North Willow Commons shopping center at 86th Street and Ditch Road for their new Balena Cucina Italiana. The restaurant will celebrate the family’s Italian roots, which include southern and northern Italy.
Pizzi said “Balena” means “whale” in Italian.
“It’s my ‘Moby Dick’ white whale — the thing I’ve always wanted to pursue,” she said. “And it’s come to fruition now. What I really want to tap into is the idea of the migratory nature, both of our family’s story, but also of the flavors and the profiles that are going to be on the menu.”
She said her grandparents were from southern Italy but ended up moving north, where her father was born. He then migrated to the United States in 1969, she said, and later brought the family over to join him. Pizzi said her father was inspired to open Ambrosia as a place to welcome the community and share the flavors of his homeland. That’s a goal for the new restaurant, as well.
“In opening (Balena), I wanted to bring back all of those stories and all of those flavors,” she said. “We’ve used family recipes in our restaurants before, but they’ve been … a little more northern Italian, a little more Tuscan, central Italian. I wanted to show this migration of our flavors and of our story, moving from the south to the north, and then here. Also, migrating from here to New York to back, and bringing some of that joy of the neighborhood Italian restaurants in Brooklyn where I was living, and creating a space for people that can have a taste of Italy, but also a taste of home.”
Pizzi said the menu will have selections from the different regions, featuring bright favors from the north like pesto and seafood dishes with citrus; and the warmly seasoned dishes from the south, with more tomato-based dishes and spices influenced by the region’s interactions with North Africa and the ancient trade routes that passed through.
She added that the wine list will be carefully curated.
“We’re going to be picking things that you don’t see around a lot of places in Indianapolis, but that really feature the best of what you see from the coastal regions, and what pairs really well with the food,” she said.
Renovation was still underway in early December, with plumbers in the back and flooring yet to be installed. But, Pizzi said, the plan is to be ready to open by the New Year.
For more, visit balenaindy.com.
Dining and Cooking