Baltimore's Cafe Campli closing with new restaurant opening in Italy
The owners of Cafe Campli, a Baltimore restaurant, will be closing its doors at the end of June to open a new location in Italy.
"We've built this laid-back but fun atmosphere," said Paul Mincarelli, one of the owners of Cafe Campli.
Mincarelli and his wife, Samantha, have brought coffee, wine, and Italian cuisine to Northeast Baltimore for nearly three years.
"We wanted to replicate the mom-and-pop small restaurants that we frequent when we go to Italy," he said.
Fresh start in Penne, Italy
The owners of Cafe Campli are planning a fresh start in Penne, Italy.
"When an opportunity like this presents itself, I think you've got to take it," Samantha Mincarelli said.
It's the chance to reopen a historic restaurant. Paul Mincarelli said he and Samantha would eat there often when traveling to Italy until they learned it had closed.
"We started asking around, started talking around town," Paul Mincarelli said. "Eventually, we got to the point where the landlords wanted to talk to us about taking over the space."
Before they knew it, they agreed to take over the space. Their dream of one day moving to Italy is now becoming a reality.
Maryland flair in Italy
Now they're working through the logistics to get their new restaurant up and running before December. That means creating the region's typical dishes.
The Mincarellis said they plan to add a bit of Maryland flair to the new shop, considering blue crabs have become an invasive species in Italian waters.
"There's incentive to eat them, but not a lot of knowledge on how," Paul Mincarelli said. "So, we have knowledge coming from Baltimore."
They plan to add crab cakes or steamed blue crabs to the Italian menu, which will come with some instructions for beginners.
"We just want to do them honor and hopefully execute and just create memorable dining experiences for people," Samantha Mincarelli said.
The Mincarellis said this is a bittersweet moment, but they are ready for the chapter ahead.
Although they don't want to see Cafe Campli come to an end, the owners hope someone will be willing to buy the restaurant and continue its legacy in Baltimore.
