GLENS FALLS — Giovanni Fresco has offered pasta, sauces and other Italian dishes at farmers markets for several years. Now, it has a brick and mortar location.
The popular business, run by husband-and-wife team Giovanni and Francesca Casanica, have set up shop in Glens Falls. The Casanicas purchased the shop at 47 Lawrence St. in Glens Falls in January, and held the business’ soft opening last weekend.
The couple moved to the Capital Region from Rieti, Italy in December 2016, and established their business the next year.
The word “fresco,” means fresh, and Giovanni Casanica said that's just what the business offers.
“We strive to have fresh-made daily products, everything is made from scratch,” he said.
For the past several years, Giovanni Fresco offered a variety of Italian dishes as catering, as well as at a number of local farmers markets, such as the ones in Schenectady, Glens Falls and Troy.
The new shop is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Giovanni Casanica said customers should know that, because everything is freshly made, and the business is just he and his wife, at times they may sell out of certain items.
“We’re so happy we’re starting this,” Giovanni Casanica said. “We’ve been getting a lot of support and love from the local community.”
He said many people have told him how glad they are to have the Italian restaurant in the community.
“The place that we bought, a lot of people have told me it was an Italian neighborhood,” Giovanni Casanica said. “Bringing back those Italian colors and traditions and tastes and culture to that part of town is bringing back some good memories for a lot of people. It’s bringing back some nostalgia for people, and that makes us even more proud of what we’re doing.”
The couple originally purchased the space as a location to cook and prepare for events, but Giovanni Casanica said people kept knocking on their door and asking them when they would be opening.
The soft opening went very well, Giovanni Casanica said.
The shop has different items available in the front, such as fresh pasta and sauce made daily. Each day there will also be a daily special, as well as dishes regularly available.
“Every single day, we’ll have a daily special and then the usuals, which are the products we saw that people loved the most, that people know us for,” Giovanni Casanica said. “That would be the lasagna, the eggplant parm, the meatballs and the build-your-own fresh pasta, so every day we’ll have those items, and then a daily special.”
The daily special is a family meal special that feeds four to six people. It comes with a half-tray of pasta and meat or protein, which varies depending on the day of the week, along with fresh bread and sauce, all for $39.99.
“We make it fresh, you eat it fresh, that’s our slogan,” Giovanni Casani said. “What we’re trying to bring back now, with all the stories we’ve heard from the community and about the history of the building, what we want to do is bring family back, everyone sitting down together, the whole family sharing a good meal.”
The couple plan to continue offering their dishes at the farmers markets while also operating the new shop, Giovanni Casanica said. A lot of it will depend on the demand and what he and his wife are able to do. They are also expecting their first child in the coming weeks as well.
