RENDERING COURTESY DIANOIA’S FOOD
D.IAnoia eatery owners Aimee DiAndrea and Dave Anoia planned to expand their presence ahead of the COVID-19 outbreak in March. They had recently signed a lease for the former Choppin ‘Block area, which is one block from their Italian restaurant on Penn Avenue in the Strip District. With a fully equipped kitchen of 2,100 square meters, the location should be a much needed hub for DiAndrea and Anoia. Their restaurant was very popular, they ran a robust and fast growing special events business, and had opened their first spin-off, Pizzeria Davide.
Not only does Anoia use the place as a commissioner for her culinary activities, she also says, “We wanted to launch a Long Island-style delicatessen.”
With Governor Tom Wolf still home for the foreseeable future when they took over the room on May 1st, the DiAnoia team realized they had to turn. “At that point, there was no way we could support three lunch-time sandwich restaurants in one area,” says Anoia.
Catering had all but ceased and with hardly anyone working downtown or visiting the Strip District, there wasn’t the breakfast and lunchtime traffic they were used to. “It’s not great when you have a huge kitchen and rent to pay and not much is going on. But things change and you have to adapt to them, ”says Anoia.
After considering what format would work best in the circumstances, they decided to open a bakery and prepare food. They call it Pane è Pronto.
PHOTO BY AIMEE DIANDREA
Head baker Nick Malburg will lead the part of the name “pane”. He joined DiAnoia in May 2019 and has developed a robust bread program for the restaurant. For the morning menu, expect a selection of bread, three or four types of sourdough (standard, rosemary and seasonal rotating), ciabatta, focaccia, demi-baguette and hard crust rolls like Kaiser and a variety of baked goods such as Italian Danish, Bombolini and Taralli.
Tyler England, who was promoted to Head Chef at DiAnoia earlier this year, will oversee the “Pronto” portion of the operation. Customers can expect hot, ready-to-use versions of DiAnoia’s favorites like lasagna, meatballs, and veggies and beans. “These are dishes that travel well and are reasonably priced. You could have a full meal or add to what you have at home, ”says Anoia.
The opening menu at Pane è Pronto is rounded off by delicacies such as antipasti, pasta salad and marinara sauce, as well as a freezer filled with meatballs, frozen pasta, various sauces and Millies ice cream.
Down the street, Anoia says, they’ll be bringing in sandwiches and other lunch dishes. Look for Pane è Pronto to open early fall.
dianoiaseatery.com
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