Cornwall has a lot of privately owned restaurants offering a variety of cuisine from Mexican, Thai, Chinese, to Italian food. But one thing it’s been lacking is a deli to purchase a quick sandwich for breakfast or lunch. That changed in March when Pepettini to Go opened in Cornwall-on-Hudson. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on May 17 to officially recognize the new eatery.
Pepettini to Go is owned by Julie and Louis Pipolo, but their story actually begins with the Italian restaurant next door.
Louis is a jeweler by trade, but while he was studying, he worked at local restaurants, in Italy, learning from the chefs. Now, a self-taught chef, Louis opened his first restaurant in Nov. 1993.
Julie, a medical esthetician, met Louis through family friends and the two have been married for 26 years. She got into the restaurant business 20 years ago. While Louis serves as executive chef, Julie handles all the duties beyond the kitchen including staffing, decorating, and the business end.
When the location on River Avenue became available, the Newburgh residents knew they had to act.
“We saw the space and fell in love with it,” Julie said. “When we found out it was for rent we both looked at each other and said this is perfect. It’s small, it’s charming, it’s in a community.”
The two opened Pepettini four years ago and purchased the restaurant space in August.
Pepettini specializes in authentic Italian farm to table food. The seafood comes from a fish market and the meat is purchased both from local farms (through Adams) and a butcher on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. Louis uses local produce and local and imported cheeses. The wine comes from small-batched vineyards which means the bottles are not mass produced.
Pepettini is only open from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 4 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, so the owners knew they needed to fill the gap for breakfast and lunch in order to satisfy their clientele.
“This was an obvious addition,” Julie said. “We felt the village needed a little deli to go. Being that it was right next door, in another historic building (the former Storm King Theater), it made perfect sense.”
Pepettini to Go, which is open 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, specializes in traditional deli sandwiches as well as Italian specialties. Items on the menu pay homage to Cornwall with such offerings as “The Dragon,” “The Coyne Flip,” “Rings Pond,” and “The Black Rock.”
Julie said the goal is for the deli to sell homemade bottled sauces, as well as expand into catering, offering take-home dishes for dinner.
Pepettini to Go is located at 2 Idlewild Ave. The phone number is 845-534-TOGO (8646).
