Ristorante Bergamo chef and owners Gian Pietro and Kathy Ferro bring authentic Italian products to the Village of West Greenville
It’s been three years since Gian Pietro Ferro moved to Greenville with his wife, Kathy, to take over Ristorante Bergamo from founder Nello Gioia, who opened the Italian eatery on the corner of Coffee and Main streets in 1986. Having his own restaurant was her husband’s dream, Kathy says, but both anticipated a slower pace in Greenville than the chef experienced working in restaurants in New York City.
“I wasn’t expecting it to be as crazy as we are now,” reports Chef Gian Pietro, who grew up in a small town in the Lombardy region of Italy. “Last year we [served] 14,000 people.” Although the restaurant already had a loyal following when the Ferros took it over, they have attracted new customers with Gian Pietro’s expanded menu. “I’m always coming up with a new idea,” says the chef. “I play with [products from] local farms as much I can, of course with an Italian way.”
To feed his creativity, the menu is constantly changing. There are only a handful of dishes that are always offered. Among them are Fegato alla Veneziana, sauteed calf’s liver made the way the chef’s Venetian grandmother did, with onions and white wine vinegar; Gamberoni al Brandy, Carolina shrimp napped with brandy cream sauce; and some preparation of risotto, his signature dish. On any given week, additions to the menu might include a baby pig roasted Sardinian-style with honey and fresh herbs; Pasta all Norma, a Sicilian dish incorporating eggplant and tomato sauce; or a Dover sole that the chef fillets at the table.
This spring, Gian Pietro and Kathy will be expanding into the Village of West Greenville with the opening of Bergamo West market and Italian deli. An idea the chef has nurtured since the couple moved to Greenville in 2020, the market will stock Italian products—imported meats, cheeses, olive oils and balsamic vinegars, condiments, pasta, and wine. While not a full-service restaurant, the deli portion will also offer refined sandwiches and panini—and espresso, certo.
“I’m excited because I’ll get to work more normal hours and I’ll have more time to talk to people,” notes Kathy, who will run the store. At 2,700 square feet, the former location of Dobra Tea also allows space for a large walk-in freezer and for making pasta by hand—two things that Bergamo’s small kitchen doesn’t provide. The products Bergamo West carries, many of which are served in the restaurant, “will allow everyone to bring home some of the food we have at Bergamo,” Kathy says. A true taste of Italy.
Ristorante Bergamo Recipe from Chef Gian Pietro
Fettuccini con Porcini
Chefs note: This simple, light dish is a classic in Northern Italy.
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 whole garlic clove
- 3 ½ cups chopped porcini mushrooms (fresh or frozen)
- ½ cup white wine
- 16 oz fettuccine
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Heat butter and oil in a skillet on medium-high heat.
- Add the whole garlic clove and chopped porcini.
- Add white wine and salt and pepper to taste, and stir occasionally for approximately 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- While the porcini mixture simmers, cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Drain the pasta and toss into skillet with the porcini; stir for 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
