We’re not ones to feed stereotypes—usually. But we think it’s a shame if a big Italian family saves all of its spaghetti for itself and doesn’t share its genetic predisposition toward premier pasta-making with the general public. So it’s about time that the Oliva family has chosen to get out of their own kitchens and open up a restaurant.
 First step: finish interior; second step: make pasta. Dick Oliva (front), owner of Olivaté, and his daughter, Heather and nephew, Jonathan Gianakos, who will be the restaurant’s general managers, know just how it works. |
Dick and Linda Oliva, owners of Ceramico Tile Co, are opening Olivaté in the old Fat Daddy’s space in the Albemarle Square Shopping Center, and they are calling upon beloved family recipes ( e.g., Grandma’s spaghetti sauce with pepperoni; Linda’s stuffed mushrooms) as well as local family members’ sweat equity—Dick and Linda’s daughter, Heather, and their nephew, Jonathan Gianakos will be general managers—to launch their eponymous establishment.
The old Fat Daddy’s digs are getting a major makeover with, you guessed it, ceramic tile, which Heather and Jonathan were busy grouting when we stopped by to check in. And the kitchen and interiors are getting stripped of TVs and spiffed up to make way for linen-adorned tables and finer dining than what came before at this 29N strip mall location tucked between Chandler’s Bakery and Circuit City. As for how Olivaté will differ in terms of allure and longevity from the establishments that previously inhabited the space (before it was Fat Daddy’s, it was Winner’s Circle Grill, and before that, it was Tiny Mac), Heather says, "Those places were focused on the bar. We’ll be focusing on gourmet food and fine service—we want to know our customers by name."
Heather says Olivaté will be Italian in style, yes—but not in the food sense. Well, not exclusively, anyway—Heather tells us that in addition to lots of pastas and parmesan, Olivaté will serve more American fare, such as steak and tuna entrees and her dad’s bacon barbeque shrimp appetizer and creamy crab soup. No, when she says Olivaté will be Italian in style, she means that it will reflect that quintessential Italian sensibility of making good food and serving it in a classy but warm and homey atmosphere that pays homage to that good food—all of which encourages diners to linger over their linguini, kiss their fingers and say things like "delizioso!" with complete sincerity and contextual authenticity.
On the subject of longevity, Heather tells us that there currently are 22 grandchildren in the Oliva family. We take that to mean there are plenty of nonunionized stagehands around to keep this show running for quite awhile. Look for the Oliva dining dynasty to open around the end of the year.
Goodies on the go
Speaking of dynasties, Christian Trendel and his Ciao! Catering company have expanded their claims to the east end of the Downtown Mall. In addition to doing all of the catering for the Charlottesville Pavilion, Ciao! is now serving up quick lunches, and eventually will serve quick breakfasts, at the new Transit Café in the Downtown Transit Center. We stopped by and found veteran Chef Trendel himself behind the counter, which likely is why the humble sandwich we ordered—curried chicken salad on a croissant—was, like, way better than typical municipal munchies.
Help wanted
Finally, a reader moving to the Charlottesville area recently wrote to Restaurantarama seeking help in discovering available chef positions. After patting ourselves on the back for being recognized as oh-so-tapped-in to the restaurant scene, we did what anyone would do and opened up the pages of our own C-VILLE classifieds for information. There we found ads for employment at such places as Michael’s Bistro, Timberwood Grille and Court Square Tavern, plus an ad for positions at "a rapidly growing restaurant group," which we are pretty sure is Coran Capshaw’s dining empire. You see, unlike our glut of attorneys and architects, Charlottesville’s glut of restaurants seems a constant source for new job opportunities, so keep looking Mr.-I’m-moving-to-Charlottesville-and-need-a-chef-job—we know you’ll find something soon!
Got some restaurant scoop? Send tips to restaurantarama@c-ville.com or call 817-2749, Ext. 48.