Biscotti days and pasta nights
RENATO POLIAFITO • Ciao, Gloria & Pasta Night
WORK • Tuesday Routine
RENATO POLIAFITO • restaurateur / author • Ciao, Gloria & Pasta Night
Neighborhood you work in: Prospect Heights
Neighborhood you live in: Gowanus
It’s Tuesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I’m the owner and manager of Ciao, Gloria, a daytime cafe bakery with a slight Italian bend to it, as well as Pasta Night, a new Italian-American restaurant I opened directly across the street from Ciao. Tuesday mornings are usually pretty busy at Ciao — people have places to be and need their caffeine and cinnamon roll fix, and we’re happy to provide it. I come into work around 9a or so, say my hellos to the staff, and pretty much get right to work. But first, coffee. It’s more ritual than addiction for me: It allows for a brief pause before my usual hectic day begins.
What’s on the agenda for today?
These days, I am mostly shuttling between Ciao and Pasta Night, steering the ship at Ciao, and setting up systems at Pasta Night. Fortunately, I have a great team at Ciao, and can lean heavily on them to keep the shop in working order while I make sure Pasta Night is getting the attention it needs. But like any small business owner in the city, my day is filled with a little bit of everything: solving any and all kinds of issues, paying bills, fixing things, testing food, ordering from vendors, talking to customers, wiping tables, and playing therapist to my employees. It’s a very full day, but a satisfying one.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I’m excited to check out Briscola Trattoria in Crown Heights. It opened up around the same time as Pasta Night, and I am a huge fan of [Briscola’s sister restaurant] LaRina, so I’m excited to see what they’ve cooked up. Also excited to try Nin Hao, which opened up around the corner from us, as well as Dilly Dally, just down on Vanderbilt. My pastime is eating, if you haven’t guessed. I may also end up having a drink at Animal or Good Judy.
How about a little leisure or culture this week?
I’m trying to get upstate before the leaves fully drop. I love doing an overnight or two at Getaway in the Eastern Catskills. It’s one of those few opportunities I get to disconnect, even if for a night. If I don’t get upstate, I’ll try to get myself to the studio to throw some pieces — I’m a member at BKLYN CLAY, but haven’t been for a few months as I’ve been entrenched in the Pasta Night buildout — but as many business owners know, the struggle for making a work/life balance happen is very real.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I should definitely spend a little more on myself, but I tend to be conservative. We just bought a MoccaMaster for our kitchen and I love it. It doesn’t take much to make me happy.
What NYC store or service do you love to recommend?
Let’s spend a few hours in Greenpoint: A few places I love are Archestratus Books and Tend. Archestratus for all manner of cookbooks (including mine!) and the sage wisdom of its owner, Paige Lipari; Tend for all manner of plants, pots and its handsome and funny owner, Joe Ferrari. Of course, there’s Peter Pan for doughnuts (and a classic BEC you can eat at their iconic counter on a weekday when it isn’t mobbed) but if you’re there around dinnertime, please don’t sleep on Bernie’s... Everything they do is truly wonderful, and as a fellow restaurant owner, an inspiration.