Italia di Gusto will bring the most authentic tastes of Italy to Medford starting October 15. According to its Facebook page and a post on Chowhound, the specialty shop and eatery with its original locations in Italy will open to patrons along the Mystic River, offering "the best products," including cheese, salami, Parmigiano, jam, and olive oil.
Co-owner Matteo Ronzio and his wife Francesca moved to the U.S. in February to open Italia di Gusto, which has another location in Ridgewood, N.J. They will have a soft opening October 15 and plan to have a grand opening with guests from Italy at the end of the month, Ronzio told Eater.
In addition to the fine Italian foods available for purchase, Italia di Gusto will include a restaurant, with a different menu for lunch and dinner. Ronzio said they are located in a place where people can pop in for a quick lunch — sandwiches, a few types of pasta, and 10-inch pizzas made in-house by Italia di Gusto's Neapolitan chef. The bigger pies are reserved for dinner, along with five to six different kinds of pasta and risotto and three to four main courses, including polenta, veal with mushroom, and tuna.
"We would like to try to do everything fresh and easy," Ronzio told Eater, noting that the ingredients the chefs at Italia di Gusto use in the restaurant will be the same ones sold in the store, so customers can try cooking the meals at home, if they desire.
Ronzio said Italia di Gusto will stand out in this area, not only for its authentic Italian taste, but for using genuine products that come from Italy.
"We want to do our best from the beginning," he said, adding he was a little bit nervous because the expectations were so high.
Italia di Gusto is still in the process of securing its liquor license, but Ronzio said they expect to do so in the next month.