Islanders passing People’s Park may feel a pang of nostalgia this week – and might also note the scent of garlic and sourdough too.
After a seven-year hiatus, much-loved Italian eatery La Cantina has reopened its doors, lovingly revived by Anthony Calvani – son of the original founder, who opened the original in 1992 – and his fiancée Catherine Camacaro.
After closing in 2018, La Cantina held its first official service for seven years yesterday, after the couple made the decision last year to take the reins of the long-lost but much-loved family restaurant.
With a fresh lick of paint and a new tasty menu of home-made pasta and sourdough pizza, the establishment has undergone a complete transformation, even though it has kept the same name.
Having first eaten pizza at his dad’s restaurant two decades ago, Anthony has reignited his culinary skills to head a three-man kitchen team, while Ms Carmaco leads the front of house.
Customers may also see the original Mr Calvani serving his beloved ancestral food once again.
But after breaking her leg suddenly last summer, Ms Camacaro told Express that getting to opening day was not a simple journey, especially between parenting the pair’s young son.
But it was a love for the hospitality industry that encouraged them to keep going.
“We wanted to do something new and fresh that everyone can enjoy,” Ms Camacaro said.
“Anthony loves the kitchen and his cooking is so good that I wanted him to share it with people,” she continued.
Anthony explained that their intention was to keep the menu focused but tasty.
“We wanted to do was something that was fresh and relatively seasonal,” he said.
“A lot of restaurants tend to cater for everybody, and menus will have fish and chips and a beef burger and a pizza, but we wanted to try and do something a bit more focused and do it well,” he explained.
La Cantina will serve food six days a week Monday to Saturday.
