SOMERS, N.Y. - Il Forno Italian Kitchen & Bar, a traditional Somers spot for celebrating birthdays, baby showers, graduations, and other special occasions, is marking a major milestone of its own: its 30th anniversary.
The restaurant was launched in a restored circa-1900s building on Route 202 on Tuesday, June 13, 1995, by husband-and-wife team Enrico “Rick” and Susan DiNardo. Since then, it’s served up pasta, thin-crust pizza, and classic fare such as branzino limone so fresh the fish had been “swimming in the Mediterranean 48 hours” before it hit the plate and a veal chop so huge that they jokingly call it “the Fred Flintstone,” to literally generations of hungry guests.
Many of those faithful folks – not to mention their professional and dedicated staff, both front and back of the house -- have become lifelong friends and part of the DiNardos’ extended family.
And, as everybody knows, la famiglia is the cornerstone of culture and society in Italy, where Rick’s father, Silvio, and his late mother, Filomena, were both born.
Rick and his two second-generation sibs, Michael and Dianne, grew up in the restaurant biz.
The elder DiNardo has had 17 eateries in New York City as well as in Westchester and Fairfield (Conn.) counties, including a staple of Mount Pleasant’s casual food scene, Silvio’s Restaurant & Pizzeria, which he opened in 1969. It was taken over by son Michael in 1994 and is still going strong.
The pair met while vacationing (separately) in Mexico. Rick was 22, just out of college (having earned a degree in accounting and taxation) and on the verge of following in his old man’s footsteps. Susan was 19 and still in college studying business administration.
They fell in love, got married five years later, and moved to Somers about 26 years ago.
They have two grown daughters, ages 27 and 29, both “amazing girls,” according to their proud parents.
Both helped out at Il Forno while growing up but then went on to follow different career paths. One’s a health care consultant and the other, an attorney.
They still lend a hand – each in their own way -- by serving, bartending, and managing at the restaurant when they’re home, especially around busy holidays such as Christmas, said Susan, adding punnily: “They both bring something different to the table.”
Susan, who took to the hospitality world like a duck to water, manages the front of the house. In restaurant lingo, FOH refers to the staff and the public spaces that guests see and interact with directly.
(She also created Taste Gourmet Deli & Catering on Route 202 about a decade ago, selling it later to the present owners. The recipe for its yummy chickpea salad is Susan’s.)
Her spouse is beyond impressed by her ability to connect with customers.
“She remembers everybody’s names, their birthdays …” Rick said.
“Not 100 percent the names, but their faces …” Susan interjected, adding: “So does Rick. We make a good team.”
The building itself, a former bar, has been revamped at least three times in the past three decades. The latest improvements included a full, dine-in, bar and an enclosed patio.
The upscale interior is “farmhouse modern” with exposed brick walls, unobtrusive lighting, and hardwood floors.
Their days start early and go late.
When asked if it isn’t hard being in tandem 24/7 -- even if you love each other to bits -- both the DiNardos laughed.
“We keep each other busy, so …” offered Rick, to which Susan quickly appended: “He’s works a lot more than me, a LOT more.”
“Nah, nah,” said Rick, seeming to be a little embarrassed by the praise.
Inspiration & Mentor
Susan and Rick aren’t the only DiNardos on the front lines at Il Forno.
Looking at least a decade younger than his 86 years, pop Silvio’s still passionately dedicated to his craft.
You can catch him at the restaurant manning its massive brick oven where he creates every pie from the deceptively simple margherita (fresh mozzarella, plum tomato sauce, basil) to the exotic fig and prosciutto (fig marmalade, prosciutto, mozzarella, arugula, balsamic drizzle, goat cheese).
“I still make pizzas, sure. Any way you like it,” Silvio modestly told a reporter recently.
“It’s the best you’ll ever taste!,” crowed his offspring.
When asked why he’s still at it instead of spending a well-deserved retirement relaxing on a beach in Florida, where he and his beloved “Filina” had had a home, Silvio responded: “I like to stay over here. I like the people, the customers, my family, my life.”
This prompted the reporter to joke about Rick: “Besides, you gotta keep an eye on him.”
“Nah, I gotta keep TWO eyes on him,” Silvio said, looking at his son as both chuckled knowingly.
What Keeps Them Going
The DiNardos swear they could never have done all this without the support of their “great” customers and staff.
It’s that sense of community that kept them going during the pandemic when other restaurants were biting the dust right and left.
“Really, we survived COVID because of Somers,” said Susan before Rick explained that Il Forno had not only not closed, it kept every single one of its employees on through the crisis.
Food was ordered online or over the phone and delivered curbside by a masked and gloved employee who placed it in the trunk of the customer’s car.
“We had an amazingly efficient system with a complete drive-through entrance, and touchless pick-up and delivery,” recalled Rick.
They and other businesses in Somers also had to navigate the fallout created by the departure of PepsiCo and IBM.
The DiNardos support -- and hang out with -- other restaurant owners in town. Competition is less important than connection in the close-knit community.
“They’re all hardworking, the same as us,” Susan said.
Rick attributes a good chunk of Il Forno’s continued success in an industry notorious for its high rate of closures to the restaurant’s ability to “adapt to whatever the current climate or demand is.”
Thirty years ago, patrons weren’t as health conscious as they are now, and restaurants weren’t as prepared to deal with individual dietary needs, preferences, and/or allergies to wheat, nuts, or milk products.
Il Forno has between 20 to 22 daily specials on offer. The menu includes old reliables such as chicken parm and calamari fra diavolo, appetizers such as polenta toscana and stuffed artichoke, and specials such as scallops oreganata and trippa romano (beef tripe).
Dishes change depending on the season and availability of ingredients, which are sourced locally as much as possible. There are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and vegetarian options.
And if someone has “a craving” for something’s that NOT on the menu, the DiNardos will accommodate them as long as they have the stuff to make it -- because that’s what a family does.
Susan herself has personal experience with allergy issues. She and one daughter both have celiac disease, which is an intolerance to gluten, a protein found in certain grains. The other daughter is allergic to nuts.
When the DiNardos aren’t out dining with friends and family, they enjoy making healthy meals at home – mostly fish, veggies, salads, and a nice glass of vino, of course.
Well, Rick does anyway, admitted Susan, explaining: “He’s the chef. I cook eggs.”
Today’s diners are also more knowledgeable (due to social media and the Food Network channel, etc.) and adventurous when it comes to what they eat.
This means restaurateurs have to be flexible as well.
“We’re always reinventing, changing, offering new options, but yet never varying from our customers’ level of expectations,” said Rick. “One of the biggest compliments we get – besides the ones about our welcoming and warm atmosphere – is that they like the consistency, that they know what to expect.”
That’s down to the staff, some of whom have been at Il Forno’s since “Day 1,” almost 30 years.
“We’re very fortunate,” said Rick of crew members and their “amazing relationship with each other and great rapport with our customers.”
One jocular regular who was enjoying a burger and fries at the bar stopped mid-chew to chat with a reporter.
“Oh, you need my name? Johnny Cash,” he joshed, “Actually it’s Michael.”
(He later politely asked that she not use his last name.)
“Do you want to say something nice about the DiNardos?” the reporter continued, hopefully.
“No, no not at all,” he said, chortling as his friend Rick looked on with a big smile. “They’re good people; that’s all I can say.”
So how are the DiNardos celebrating their 30th year?
Well, they started on Friday, June 13 -- the feast day for Saint Anthony of Padua, patron saint of lost items, travelers, sailors, the poor, and the starving – with a raffle. There will be one drawing a day for 30 days and the winners will get a free dinner for two.
“It’s fun and we thought people would appreciate this more than just a free glass of wine or a slice of pizza,” Susan said.
Also, superstitious folks need not worry that the big kick-off happened on Friday the 13th, the DiNardos said, explaining that in Italy the number 13 is considered lucky because it’s associated with several factors, including the lunar cycles and the concepts of abundance and prosperity.
That could bode well for – come what challenges may -- Il Forno’s next 30 years?
“Absolutely, in truth, we really enjoy the business. Of course, there are days when things get stressful, that’s the way of everything. But for us, this is our life,” Rick said.
Susan agreed that they’ve been “very lucky” -- “blessed” even.
“We don’t take it for granted,” she said.
Good to Know
Il Forno is located at 343 Route 202, Somers, N.Y. It’s open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesdays through Sundays and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. It is closed on Mondays.
For more information, visit www.ilfornosomers.com or call (914) 277-7575.
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