Located on West 17th near Cambie Street, Elio Volpe is the latest jewel in a growing culinary crown.Owner Paul Grunberg opened his newest addition to the Banda Volpi collection, with business partner Craig Stanghetta, on March 14 of this year. The project was a few years in the making.“We originally had a handshake deal on this location, the day before the original Covid lockdown in 2020,” he says, of the sensational new spot, formerly occupied by an automotive shop. “We had met with the landlords and were negotiating the lease, and the lockdown occurred the next day, so we backed off , respectfully.”
Grunberg and Stanghetta couldn’t commit to the space because of the obvious uncertainty, which the landlords understood and proceeded to move on to a new tenant.“That deal fell through and they circled back to us.”Elio Volpe is the most-anticipated new eatery on the Vancouver dining scene and joins Savio Volpe, Pepino’s, and La Tana, within the Banda Volpi family. “Serendipitously, this location was a mechanic shop, which is similar to our original [Cunning Fox] location, Savio Volpe, which was a tire shop,” says Grunberg. “We like unique properties, that’s why we got so excited about the auto shops.
We strive to be neighbourhood restaurants so we look for locations off the beaten path.”Grunberg adds, they wanted to add to the Fox family, but were also very careful in the process to ensure the location and concept were met.“With thought and timing, our teams work incredibly hard to assure that hospitality is at the forefront of everything we do.”It’s clearly evident within all Banda Volpi operations, that the guest is the star and the food and service perfectly compliment the overall experience.
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“ We strive to be neighbourhood restaurants so we look for locations off the beaten path.”
“One of our cultural pillars is, we are ‘guest obsessed.’ Hospitality is in our DNA,” he says. “We show up for each other and keep learning and growing. That really is what our core values and philosophy are. It’s no doubt that service is always at the forefront because we work extremely hard to ensure that it is.”The growing brand falls under the banner of Banda Volpi Hospitality.“Essentially, it means ‘gang of foxes’ in Italian.
We developed the hospitality company to shoulder and manage the restaurants and it was a fi tting name,” he says. “We have Pepino’s Spaghetti House, aka ‘The Mouse,’ an Italian American concept, which we love and is doing wonderfully. Its next door neighbour is Caff è La Tana on Commercial Drive, an alimentari and wine bar that serves lunch and dinner and is unique and beautiful.”And with a portfolio of acclaimed dining spots, it’s safe to assume more locations will follow.
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“At this point we’re keen to grow, but it’s going to be systematic and thoughtful,” says Grunberg. “We’re not in a rush because everything takes time and we want to make sure that our current operations are established and doing well.”Grunberg notes their restaurants all embody a certain level of magic and, again, it comes back to hospitality, food programming and the work and eff ort they put into every single detail.“Our culinary director, Phil Scarfone works very deliberately with our teams ensuring food quality is top notch,” he says.
“Operations director, Jason Cisneros, runs front-of-house with a strong focus on the guest experience. My business partner, Craig Stanghetta, is in charge of design, while our partner Emily Goodrich, ensures operations are running smoothly.”Already a bona-fi de hit with Vancouver’s culinary-forward crowd, Grunberg describes his latest venture as a welcoming dining experience for all. “I would categorize our restaurants as upscale casual –- family style dining, fun and approachable,” he adds. “Some may say high end, but I think we serve a delicate niche that everyone loves.”
