Today we’d like to introduce you to Niccolò Angius.
Niccolò, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I first started in the industry when I was just a kid, working at my family’s restaurant in Rome. After high school, I decided that college was not the right fit, so I got hired as a server at a great restaurant in Rome. That’s when I fell in love with the food industry and began to dream of opening my restaurant. After moving to the United States with my wife, we began selling our handmade pasta at farmer’s markets throughout San Diego and expanded in February 2019 to our brick-and-mortar location in Point Loma. Love, passion, strong will, dreams and the support of loved ones are what brought me here today.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The path of entrepreneurship is rarely smooth! Unlike working your way up in a corporate environment, there is no designated path to follow, no explicit steps you have to design it yourself day by day. The hardest part, in my experience, was getting the people around me to believe in the vision. Launching a business from the ground up, you need your community of friends, associates and team members to embrace the vision and make it their own.
Please tell us about your business.
Cesarina Ristorante is all about pasta! Our mission has always been to go above and beyond, offering a wide range of high quality choices. We wanted the dining experience to be like traveling back in time, unearthing the artisanal part of cooking that has been lost. Raviolis made by hand one by one, homemade focaccia bread served freshly baked, traditional recipes brought back to life. We wanted to replicate the love of all of our grandmas, their love for food and family. We specialize in making guests feel at home and loved, and we accomplish this through our food and the genuine hospitality of our staff. Our mission is not only to serve delicious food but to give happy moments that guests will remember.
My biggest pride is my team. They are what sets us apart from the other restaurants. Each person at Cesarina believes in our pursuit to bring quality and love, they each embrace the vision as their own and therefore naturally deliver it to the guest at the table.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
The person that most deserves credit is my wife, Cesarina, without her nothing would possible. She is my muse and my inspiration. We created Cesarina Pasta together, which began as a little pop-up tent at farmer’s markets. Cesarina restaurant embraces the values that I love within my wife— the same way she nurtures the ones she loves, the restaurant nurtures its guests.
Luca, my previous boss and current business partner, is the one who inspired and coached me as a restauranteur. I started working at his restaurant in Rome when I was 19 and he graciously imparted his love, passion and knowledge for this business. My other business partners and friends, Giuseppe and Giuseppe, that tolerate me every single day and have worked alongside me to manifest this dream. My family and friends who have always supported and loved me in every moment.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4161 Voltaire St, San Diego, CA 92107
- Website: cesarinarestaurant.com
- Phone: (619) 226-6222
- Instagram: @cesarinapasta
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/cesarinapasta
Image Credit:
Arlene Ibarra; @swellscreative
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