Arturo's /VisitingNewEngland small business partnership - Local Small Business Stories
Arturo's Ristorante in Westborough, Mass.: A Must-Visit
Italian Restaurant Between Worcester and Boston
Article and photos, unless otherwise noted, by Eric Hurwitz. Article
created on 2/14/2019.
Arturo's Ristorante.
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Dom Fabiano, owner and chef at Arturo's Ristorante in Westborough, Mass., has
worked in the restaurant industry for four decades. The remarkable
thing about that is he's only 37-years-old.
Fabiano experienced his first true taste of working in a restaurant at
five-years-old. Standing on a milk crate to make
a pizza at his dad's restaurant, Caruso's Pizza in Lynn, Mass. Dom
would eventually work virtually every job in the food industry for his father Gerardo, as well as other restaurants. With hard work ethic and
an Italian family as an inspiration that Dom felt created homemade
meals better
than any high profile North of Boston restaurants, he seemed
poised for a career working with food. The question: Where would his
strong ambitions and training at such a young age eventually take him?
Dom making pizza at his dad's restaurant in the 1980s. Photo,
courtesy of Dom Fabiano.
After graduating Northeastern University in 2004 with a bachelors
degree in business administration in supply chain management, the Marblehead native also graduated from small town
life to big city living by landing a job at the famous Dishes in
Manhattan, N.Y.
"They had an amazing chef there," said Dom. "I learned a lot,
especially about international cuisine and how to cook high quality
food in high volume."
In his heart and mind, however, Dom felt that New York City was not a
place to raise
a family so after a few years he returned to New England looking for
the perfect recipe
to jump start a career.
Taking Over From a Local Legend
Dom Fabiano, owner of Arturo's Ristorante.
Photo, courtesy of Arturo's Ristorante.
For those who believe in destiny, let's take a look at Dom's fortuitous situation.
When Dom was just a baby, Arturo Cantagenova started a small,
authentic Italian restaurant in West Boylston, Mass. The year was 1982
and Arturo's Ristorante gained a loyal following in the
Worcester area by offering a fine dining experience for all walks of
life within a small, modest setting. Business flourished so well that
in 1990 Arturo moved the restaurant to nearby Worcester, the second
most populated city in New England. Finding great success on busy
Chandler St., Arturo felt he could bring even more visibility to his
restaurant by moving to the current Westborough location in 1999. Still
close enough to Worcester, easily accessible off the Mass Turnpike from
Boston and located within the bustling Metrowest suburbs, Arturo's
move proved to be the correct one.
Deciding to go out on top of his game, however, Arturo retired in 2009.
Dom,
without any relation to Arturo, found a restaurant for sale listing and
bought the business in 2009.
Dom recently expanded the restaurant greatly from 8,000 to 12,000 sq.
ft., but made sure to never compromise the quality of the food or the
overall dining experience. Cases-in-point: Executive chef Tommaso
Gargiulo worked as chef at the West Boylston and Worcester locations
and brings an encyclopedic knowledge of, and true passion for authentic
Italian cooking to Arturo's in Westborough. Tommaso hails from
Sorrento in southern Italy and, before his great run at Arturo's,
worked at highly regarded restaurants in Rome, Italy, Puerto
Rico, St. Louis, Mo. and New Orleans, La.
"I had my first son, things got busy, and I needed help at Arturo's,"
said Dom. "We are truly blessed to have Tommaso with us. He is gifted,
the epitome of a real chef. What makes him so special is his ability to
please everyone. We have a large menu, but it is our daily specials
that make the restaurant. Tommaso plays a huge role in creating those
special dishes, both modern and classic Italian."
One of the incredible daily specials: Chicken, roasted peppers, prosciutto, Fontina cheese, sage, and
romaine on toasted Foccacia.
Today, Arturo's serves up to 1,000 diners a day and Dom and staff have
really connected with the community.
"I love the community," said Dom, of the Westborough area. "It is a
pleasure to serve the
people who come here. Our staff makes connections with the customers.
Many are original customers from Arturo's in West Bolylston and
Worcester."
A Day In The Life at Arturo's
Ristorante
Ever notice that some of the best restaurants, for some reason or
another, fail to get a significant lunch crowd? That's not Arturo's.
Soon after 11:30 a.m., mostly working professionals, families, senior
citizens and a few hipsters pretty much fill the main dining room.
Several clues reveal why Dom's gets the crowds. First, the
long-standing reputation as evidenced by one couple talking about
chatting about the old days at either the West Boylston or Worcester
locations -- and then hearing them talk favorably about their current
meals. Second, the old school meets modern Italian restaurant not only
shows in the homemade foods, but also the atmosphere. The spacious main
dining room evokes a classic traditional Italian restaurant...
Dining room. Photo, courtesy of Arturo's
Ristorante.
For those preferring the look of a newer dining establishment, the bar
area features more of a modern look without feeling sterile...
The bar at Arturo's. Photo, courtesy of
Arturo's Ristorante.
Cozy surroundings near Arturo's bar area.
Personnel also plays a major role in why Arturo's stays busy. From hosts
and hostesses
to waiters and waitresses, the professionalism, attentiveness and
personal nature of each staff member helps create an overall dining
experience that one would expect at the best big city restaurants.
"It's the overall dining experience that we strive to offer the
customer," said Dom. "Our service matches the quality of our food.
People are blown away by the attention to detail."
It's Like the Best of the North End and Federal Hill in
Westborough
And then there's the food, all that beautiful
food for lunch and dinner.
Let's face it, even the most average Italian food
can still taste
pretty good. That's the convenient business model of many chains that
also draw crowds.
Arturo's isn't really interested in becoming another chain,
however. Dom signed
a 20-year lease at the Westborough location and says he has no
interest in opening a second location. Clearly, Arturo's focuses on the
food,
making everything from scratch including its own mozzarella. From
homemade soups and pastas to hand-tossed Italian-style pizzas and
magazine-worthy desserts, this is the real deal -- like what you'd find
in the North End of Boston or Federal Hill in Providence, R.I..
Dom hand tosses a pizza. Photo
credit: Arturo's Instagram page.
When
Dom says Arturo's sources locally, he's not kidding -- as close as one
mile
away at Nourse Farm
and Harvey's Farm.
Arturo's also buys local seafood
daily.
"We make food fresh, so it makes sense to also source locally," said
Dom.
Before anything else, enjoy the homemade
bread with dipping
oil -- it's fantastic and a great way to start the dining experience
here.
Delicious homemade bread and dipping sauce from Arturo's.
Another nice way to start off an Arturo's meal: the antipasto for two
with an assortment of marinated vegetables, cured meat, olives, house
made fresh mozzarella and imported cheese.
Photo credit: Arturo's web site.
An appetizer like this scallops dish also makes for a tremendous addition before the main meal...
Scallops appetizer. Photo, courtesy of Arturo's.
As a main course, the Pappardelle Bolognese is a signature dish with
its ribbon-shaped egg pasta, meat ragu, Parmesan and basil.
Photo credit: Arturo's Instagram page.
Lobster ravioli wonderfully combines lobster, ricotta, mascarpone
filling, Portobello,
cherry tomatoes, spinach and a shallot sherry cream sauce. Pollo
Toscano is a standout with sautéed chicken breast, prosciutto, fresh
mozzarella
sautéed with white wine, garlic tomatoes, fresh basil over Tuscan
eggplant ravioli. Pasta Di Napoli features shrimp, scallops, lobster,
diced tomatoes, citrus, fresh herb cream sauce and pappardelle pasta.
The Frutti Di Mare consists of jumbo shrimp, scallops, calamari and
mussels sauteed in a spicy tomato sauce served over linguini.
Photo credit: Arturo's Instagram page.
Then there's the linguini and meatballs that uses a meatball recipe in the
Fabiano family going back 50 years. Dom's mom made these meatballs back in the day.
Photo credit: Arturo's web site.
The daily specials make a great restaurant even greater.
Case-in-point: the braised short ribs....
Photo credit: Arturo's Instagram page.
Arturo's also makes its own tiramisu in house with a recipe from one of
Dom's
aunts.
Homemade tiramisu. Photo, courtesy of Arturo's.
The rotating dessert menu features one mouthwatering gem after
another. If they don't have what you are looking for one night, chances
are there's something sweet on the menu that will equally satisfy like the Carrot Cake Cheesecake.
Carrot Cake Cheesecake. Photo credit:
Arturo's Facebook page.
The drinks list also has become a main attraction
at Arturo's with 30 wines by the glass with many priced affordably,
according to Dom. Crafts beers are plentiful including one made
exclusively for Arturo's from Berkshire
Brewing Company in South Deerfield, Mass.: an American IPA
infused with fresh blood orange juice!
The open kitchen at Arturo's ultimately paves way to endless
possibilities, enhanced by Chef Tommaso, Dom's love for and background
in cooking, and influences from his dad Gerardo, mom Filomena and other
relatives.
"Growing up, we had many home-cooked meals," said Dom. "I remember
eating at grandmas in the North End (of Boston). My mom and dad were
influential. My dad has eight brothers and sisters. We were always
eating."
And then there is the staff who fully buy into Dom's vision.
"Our team is our greatest asset," said Dom. "We have a diverse staff of professionals that get what it takes to give great service."
In addition, Arturo's also
offers private events for between 50 and 70 guests, depending on type
of event, as well as catering for office lunches, graduations,
religious events, holidays, cocktail parties, open houses and more with
delivery available within a 10-mile radius.
The Importance of Staying Balanced and Giving Back
Dom with sons Dylan (left) and Bryce (right). Photo
credit: Arturo's Instagram page.
Like father like son, but not always.
Dom grew up in a close-knit family, but work often took Gerardo away
from home life.
"The difference between me and dad is that my dad was always in such
demand," said Dom. "He couldn't stay away from the business. He spread
himself too thin. I made
sure to build a team that allows me to strike a balance between work
and home life."
That means spending quality time with wife Shannon and two
sons Bryce, five, and Dylan, one. Often that time together is spent
outside the restaurant, but also getting together at Arturo's. Here,
Shannon and Dylan enjoy some great food just minutes
before Dom takes a much-needed break to join them...
Shannon Fabiano enjoys an Arturo's lunch with Dylan.
"I have seen many 'firsts' in my family," said Dom. "It is
important not to miss these moments."
Dom also makes sure that Arturo's helps those in need by supporting
various local charities. As an example, by partnering with Eat To Give,
Arturo's donates money for every bruschetta sold, which in turn, helps
feed someone in need. Eat to Give partners with restaurants to provide
financial assistance to local soup kitchens and charities that provide
for the homeless. Arturo's also helps raise money to support the Pancreatic Cancer Alliance,
a grassroots community effort that supports pancreatic cancer research
and treatment at UMass Medical School and UMass Memorial Health in
Worcester.
"We are philanthropists," said Dom. "It is very important for us to
give back."
Conclusion
By creating dishes inspired through family generations and
keeping those recipes simple and true to form, Arturo's is one
of those rare suburban Italian restaurants that
rivals -- and often surpasses -- the best city restaurants serving this
type of cuisine. Dom really has created the best of both worlds here --
that is, what Arturo and Tommaso so masterfully created for so many
years while passionately putting his own stamp on the 21st century
version of Arturo's.
Dom is in business for the long run with the long-term lease
and an even longer vision on how to create, innovate and produce a
superior selection of Italian dishes in a most competitive field. And
like Dom helped his dad at such a young age, who knows what future
brilliant chef might be helping him in the distant future?
Photo credit: Arturo's Instagram page.
Arturo's Ristorante is located at 54
E. Main St., Westborough, MA. Tel. 508-366-1881. Web site: http://www.arturosristorante.com.
Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/arturositalian. Instagram
page: https://www.instagram.com/arturosristorante
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