In Novara the closure of Antonino Cannavacciuolo’s bistro has become a case: the controversies of the former mayor and the words of the chef from Campania
The bistro of Antonino Cannvacciuolo in Novara it closes after 9 years of activity: a decision that had great media coverage both locally and nationally.
Cannavacciolo closes the Novara bistro: controversy
There was no shortage of controversy regarding the farewell of the well-known chef: on all those advanced by theformer mayor from Novara Massimo Giordano who on Facebook expressed his disappointment at the choice to close the restaurant in the Piedmontese city.
The former mayor, in office from 2001 to 2011, after the news of the closure of the bistro, wrote: “Whoever doesn’t love Novara should pack their bags”. In the post Giordano underlined that the venue, linked to the historic Coccia theatre, is “a living room of the city” and “cannot remain closed”.
The chef’s response
To the controversy also generated by the post of the former mayor of Novara, Antonino Cannavacciuolo and his wife Cinzia Primatesta they decided to respond with a statement released to the ‘Agi’ agency and reported by ‘Repubblica’:
“The months of closure of the restaurant served us to evaluate every possibility, from continuing the work done in recent years to evaluating profound changes. We finally decided to close the Cannavacciuolo Cafe’ & Bistrot in Novaraa piece of our history to which we will remain forever linked.”
The closure of the Novara bistro comes 9 years after it opened in 2015. After almost a decade, chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo’s group has made its own assessments, deciding to focus on new projects:
“We grew up alongside this project – explained Antonino and Cinzia – as did the passionate kids who make our team great every day. Together with them we began to take a new direction for the Group, more focused on development Hospitality and Retaill, an area that allows us to make our resources flourish, realizing their aspirations.
“Following these reasonings we realized that the Cafe’ & Bistrot could no longer represent a space for constant growth, because it was not in line with our present, and we thought it was right to let it go to concentrate our energies on all the others projects“.
The new bistro: handover
The closure of the Cannavacciuolo bistro in Novara does not mark the end of the place which is ready to be reborn with a handover: a big name in the restaurant sector should take over, a high-level profile capable of collecting a heavy legacy.
From this point of view, reassurances had already arrived from the Cannavacciuolo Group on future of the place: “Have trust and respect towards those who have invested two million euros to restore a place both from a structural point of view and from an energy and fame point of view, giving so much to the city in almost ten years”.
From 2015 to today, the Cannavacciuolo Group, one of the most followed chefs in Italy, has worked hard to grow the restaurant, also investing heavily from an economic point of view. The efforts paid off in 2019, when the bistro, with the kitchen entrusted to chef Vincenzo Manicone, was awarded its first Michelin star: a prestigious recognition that contributed to making Novara stand out on the map of Piedmontese restaurants.
