Eatery completes first month in business
When Frank Aloshi was visiting the Cornwall area, it was for another business deal, but when his realtor called and asked if he was interested in opening another restaurant, he decided to scope out the location.
Formerly occupied by Cafe Richiesto, Aloshi stopped by the Route 32 location and observed the smiling patrons walking in and out of the eatery. He looked into the numbers and conducted some research on local demographics, learning 90 percent of the people born in the area continue to live here later in life.
Interested in introducing a new dining experience to the community, Aloshi agreed to rent the location back in December. After undergoing renovations, Il Tesoro Ristorante & Pizzeria opened to the public in August.
Aloshi and his business partner Anton Perlleshi met through their careers in construction, but both have backgrounds in the food industry. Perllishi, like Aloshi, started as a food runner and has seven years experience in the business, working at such restaurants as Tutta Bella and Sergio’s.
Aloshi’s background is a bit more extensive, having entered the industry 30 years ago. He started out at The Hotel Gregory in Brooklyn, gaining experience from the Italian chefs as he ran back and forth between the tables and the kitchen serving customers. From there he went on to work at a number of other restaurants such as La Salt, Joe’s, and Crystal Palace.
“It was always in my blood,” Aloshi said. “I networked with a lot of people who are restaurant owners. With an Albanian background, fine Italian cuisine is in our blood.”
When developing a concept for their new venture, Aloshi and Perlleshi agreed they only wanted to serve quality food using the finest ingredients while offering good customer service.
The two partners have spent hours in the kitchen, fine tuning recipes. Aloshi notes they must have thrown away 500 pounds of wheat as they prepared batch after batch of pizza dough, fine-tuning the mixture and ensuring the combination of ingredients would work well in their brick ovens. They even consulted friends who make artisan pizzas, acquiring recipes in the process.
The dough utilizes a hybrid of corn and semolina wheat flour.
“It takes a while if you really want to bring out good food,” said Aloshi.
Making the artisan pizzas is a two-person job, said Aloshi, indicating one person prepares the dough while the other cooks and adds the toppings. Il Tesoro doesn’t use pre-cut sausage or bacon. It’s cooked on premises. Spinach and mushrooms are sauteed before being added to the pizza. The neapolitan pizza features burrata, a high-end fresh mozzarella.
Aloshi said he’s eaten at steak houses and paid $200 for a steak, but Il Tesoro offers quality meat at a fraction of the cost. The meats are perfectly marbled throughout. Butter and other ingredients are used to give the steak an aged quality.
Only the freshest vegetables are used in salads. The tomatoes, for example, are picked while still green and allowed to ripen, under dark conditions, to a bright orange color. Peppers and onions are also given ample time to ripen fully before serving.
The paninis are baked in house or provided by the Rockland Bakery. They’re served encrusted with fresh garlic, peppers, and salt. Press down on the bread and it pops back up like a memory foam pillow.
The truffle oil is infused with mushrooms and the extra virgin olive oil includes fresh garlic and rosemary.
In terms of desserts, they’re either straight from a bakery, like the chocolate cake, or made in house. The tartufo, for example, uses only fresh, not frozen, cherries, and is served with premium ice cream and chocolate.
“I’m the type of person who believes in simplicity, authenticity, the basics of everything, even on the food itself,” said Aloshi.
Located at 1795 Route 32 in Cornwall, Il Tesoro opens daily from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and closes at 9 p.m. on Sunday.