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The need for a storage facility, a pasta-making operation and a COVID café have all come together for one local family looking to add a new business on Main Street.
Phil Frattaroli, co-owner and managing partner of Filmark Hospitality Group, said the idea for what will become Café Ducali at 959 Main St. was born out of those three ideas.
The name, he added, was from another Café Ducali opened by the family in 2009 in the North End, which served pizza. When COVID hit in 2020, he said the café, like many other restaurants, had to pivot, expanding to not only add takeout but breakfast foods for morning consumers.
“It worked well for us,” Frattaroli said, of the venture. “We had this hand-and-glove thing with the café and pizzeria. We’re trying to do that in Winchester.”
In the meantime, Frattaroli said there seemed to be a need to free up some space at Lucia’s in downtown Winchester. Additionally, the family was looking for a way to consolidate the pasta-making operation, which was spread across both the North End and Winchester Lucia locations.
Main Street seemed to fit the bill.
“It was a reptile store before it closed and before that, it was a video store,” Frattaroli said, of the site. “And there were some squatters who were living there. The building was in rough shape.”
But touring the building, Frattaroli started to see the potential, not only for what Filmark was looking for to serve the current business, but for something that would serve area residents.
“I decided to do the retail café based on what I saw as the needs of the area,” he said. “As a father of young kids, I’m always looking for a place where I can pick up some pizza and maybe pick up a bottle of wine and if it’s at the same place, that’s even better.”
A hometown proposition
If you ask Frattaroli why Winchester served as the location for the new venture, he is quick to point out he’s a Winchester boy. He and his family have lived and worked in the community for nearly 40 years — and that’s not changing anytime soon.
“When COVID happened, people were really good to us,” Frattaroli said, of Lucia’s. “We had to transition to takeout and the town came out and supported us. In 2020, we were only down 15% in sales and that’s because people were so supportive in this town.”
So, of course when the idea for a multipurpose location came up it was Winchester that fit the Frattaroli bill. And, he added, it was especially interesting in that particular area of Main Street.
“There’s not a lot of development up there,” Frattaroli said. “I think the area could be better utilized.”
Although the town is now looking at passing its Main Street Mixed-use District (MSMD) during the upcoming November Town Meeting, Frattaroli said that wasn’t in his mind when thinking about building out in the area.
“I bought the building about two and a half years ago so the MSMD had nothing to do with it,” he said. “I’d heard about it, but I’m a big believer in developing and you can’t force an idea into a square hole. You have to see what an area needs and then see what uses you can develop over time.”
And he didn’t want to compete with the Rauseo family, who owned a pizza place in the area until it was sold.
“I’ve been successful so far because these things are based on my own needs,” he said. “The restaurants are doing well and I like to take on some side projects and right now, I’m focusing on that space.”
That space, as he refers to it, got it’s first look in May 2022, but Frattaroli knew it was perfect for what he wanted to accomplish.
Built in 1928 as a peacoat factory, the 959 Main St. location is now undergoing renovation. Frattaroli said the entire thing had to be gutted due to the mess it was in and he wanted to turn the building into something special.
“It was important that it wasn’t a cookie cutter building,” he said. “It’s something that has a lot of history to it. Sometimes that area is referred to as the North End of Winchester and for us, it was a perfect symbiosis with the North End where we started. It just brought it all together.”
Frattaroli added that now, with the town looking at passing the MSMD, the area has a real chance to thrive.
“That’s even better,” he said, of the upcoming zoning article. “Hopefully, that’s the start of some good things happening.”
Spring opening
With the renovations slowly moving along, Frattaroli said the goal is definitely to open next spring sometime.
“I really want this business to be sustainable,” he said. “Right now, we’re working inside to have everything be electric powered, even the ovens. The hard part is going from gas to electric ovens.”
And the business is still trying to secure its beer and wine license, but Frattaroli said the hope is give customers the option of picking up pizza and some adult beverages on the go. And of course, the café is also looking to offer pasta or pizza-making classes, as well as cater private events so having an alcohol license is important.
Despite the tough process of obtaining the right licenses and permits from the town, Frattaroli remains excited by the new venture.
“I am very excited,” he said, with a huge smile. “This is the fun part for me. The restaurant, well, that’s tough because you are always trying to constantly maintain that quality day after day, month after month, year after year. And for us, that’s decade after decade. But for me, I really like the opening part.”
