Two decades ago, with a love for, and tradition of, good food, the Gregorini family opened a small Italian restaurant in Sudbury’s west end.
Today, Ristorante Verdicchio and Enoteca is one of the city’s premier dining spots, and a recent transformation is set to further secure its place as the area’s most versatile event venue.
In May, Verdicchio launched its new events division, Natura Inspired Events, which offers banquet, meeting and catering services for small and large events. During a threemonth renovation, space adjacent to the restaurant was expanded and completely remodeled.
It’s now able to host between 215 and 270 guests, depending on the event.
“It was an investment that we think was well worth it because I think the city needs more things like this,” said Mark Gregorini, who runs the restaurant with his mother, Willie.
“We’re getting into more of a global market now, as well, in terms of the different industries we have, so we have to be able to support what’s needed, and I found there was a need for something like this.” Features of the space include four large, wall-mounted screens, full wireless capability, laptop/USB plugins built into the structural supports, and speakers embedded in the ceiling through the length of the room for consistent, high-quality sound.
State-of-the-art equipment has been installed in the expanded kitchen, which will allow the facility to efficiently handle larger events, while maintaining food quality and consistency. The expanded space translates to a need for eight to 10 additional employees, perhaps more as the venue gets busier.
Gregorini said the goal is to make the event experience as smooth as possible for clients.
“We’re trying to make it so that they don’t have to think about anything when they come here,” he said. “Everything’s done.”
About five years in the planning, the remodel comes on the heels of the restaurant’s renovation two years ago. At that time, the Gregorinis completely restructured the restaurant’s layout, knocking down walls and recreating intimate spaces ideal for small meetings and business dinners.
Amenities now include a private room for up to 30 people, with a pull-down screen and LCD projector, and a second private room for 10 to 12 people. A table seating 10 can also be set up in the restaurant’s award-winning wine cellar.
“I wanted to have this as the centre of the restaurant, so it almost gives the heartbeat,” Gregorini said of the wellstocked enoteca. “What we’re trying to portray here is wine and food culture, specifically Italian wine and food culture, and now with this here we’re able to do it much more as a learning experience.”
Gregorini was actually studying archaeology when he and his brother, Rob, started helping a local couple with their small café. When the couple decided to sell, the Gregorinis grabbed the opportunity to open their restaurant, bringing in their own family traditions and slowly expanding it over the years.
“We all grew up with good food with my grandmother and my mother’s cooking, and from there we just said let’s give it a go,” said Gregorini, who went on to train as a chef at Cambrian College, and later, in Italy. “Twenty years later, here we are.”
As Sudbury expands its horizons beyond mining and into different industries, and with expanded airline services and the four-laning of Highway 69 bridging the distance to Toronto, Gregorini believes there will be more of a demand for this type of fine dining experience. Natura is now creating packages that will include a room rental and the sound systems, as well as catering, with tailored estimates designed to meet clients’ budgets.
“We’re still in the learning stages of it, but I’m quite confident that we’ll do very, very well, not only business-wise, but in terms of customer satisfaction, because I think that’s very important,” Gregorini said. “To me, it’s more customer satisfaction than anything.”
