Carla Gambescia has brand ambition when it comes to her weeks-old restaurant, Via Vanti!
A marketing and advertising veteran with years of experience at such firms as Ogilvy & Mather and Young & Rubicam and with such foodservice clients as Pizza Hut, KFC and Starbucks, Gambescia recently debuted Via Vanti in the northern Westchester suburb of Mount Kisco, N.Y. Housed in the village’s landmark commuter railroad station, Via Vanti—which translates as “the way forward”—represents “a culinary destination and a cultural brand,” the marketing expert says.
“In foodservice, people usually begin with a concept of food,” says Gambescia, who worked with Starbucks to develop and market the Frappuccino. “I wanted to create a mood and experience of which food is an integral part. I want the restaurant to take diners someplace else.”
In Via Vanti’s case, that someplace else is Venice. The 50-seat restaurant displays the unmistakable imagery of “The City of Bridges,” from the tiled floor patterned after the one in the Doge’s Palace to its etched-glass panels bearing the likeness of a Venetian gothic arch and posters of Carnivale on the wall. A flat-screen TV behind the marble bar also runs a slide show of Venetian images.
The 2,200-square-foot space also exhibits several vividly colored images of Zanni, one of the more prominent characters of the Commedia dell ‘Arte, Italy’s much-loved improvisational theater. Gambescia says Zanni ultimately will be employed in the concept’s branded merchandising program, which will feature such retail food and beverage products as a proprietary baked-goods line. To that end, she has trademarked the name “Bravo Zanni.”
While Via Vanti! caters to the some 1,600 commuters who pass through the 100-plus-year-old station daily with takeout items like gelato, coffees and baked goods, the concept also offers a menu for sit-down dining specializing in small plates. The menu also lists a range of selections that includes piadine, thin Tuscan flatbread with various toppings; and breadless paninis, which feature ingredients wrapped in romaine and radicchio leaves. The menu also features bocconcini, or little mouthfuls—individual sampler plates of cheeses; sliced, cured and smoked meats; and vegetables. Desserts, wines, cocktails and digestifs also are available.
The average per-person check runs about $20 at lunch and $27 at dinner. Breakfast tabs average from $5 to $6.
Gambescia’s branding ambitions already have moved beyond the borders of Mount Kisco. She just signed a lease for a second space in downtown Peekskill, N.Y. The second Via Vanti is set to open this fall. She also plans to look for other locations in the Hudson River Valley.
The brand, Gambescia believes, has wide appeal.
“After all, everyone has their own ‘inner Italian,’” she quips.
