Roberto Pizza is set to have its last dining service Saturday evening, a few weeks shy of its 10th anniversary.
The pizzeria was named after Ottawa restaurateur Roberto Valente, 46, who died in February 2015 after battling brain cancer. A portrait of him covers one of the pizzeria’s walls.
Richard Valente, Roberto’s brother and business partner of Fratelli restaurants and the pizzeria, said the decision to close had been in the making for a year, but it was still a difficult choice.
“It’s very, very emotional, but his spirit always lives on,” Richard said. “He was an unbelievable restaurateur.
“We had a great run.”
For two decades, the Valente brothers opened several locations of Fratelli restaurants in Kanata and Westboro. Some of Roberto Pizza’s menu, pizzas named after the Valente brothers and their children, will be available at Fratelli.
Their father, Pasquale Valente, 86, managed the pizzeria as a way to remember his son after his passing.
“That was his place to go and honour Rob every day,” Richard said.
Pasquale was unable to speak with the Ottawa Citizen due to health concerns.
Taking its place on Preston Street will be another pizza joint: Schoolhouse Pizza. Richard said it was the “right fit” to allow for a new generation of restaurateurs to settle in Little Italy. Richard and Pasquale wanted the new owners to move in time for the Ottawa Italian Festival, set to take place from June 6 to June 8.
“It’s time to pass the baton onto the younger generation,” Richard said. “We wanted Schoolhouse Pizza to have a few weeks to get ready, and it would just be a great introduction for them.”
Justin Laferriere, Schoolhouse’s chef and partner, said they would be starting renovations in a couple of days. The idea of Schoolhouse Pizza began after Laferriere, an executive chef at Fairouz Cafe, expressed a desire to switch to casual dining.
“It was becoming hard to find the pizza that I wanted to eat in the city,” Laferriere said. “So I just decided to do it myself.”
In September 2024, Schoolhouse Pizza opened its first location in Beechwood. The Little Italy location will be their second restaurant opening in less than a year.
“We are doing our best to retain the staff and respect the name,” Laferriere said. “We’ll have some homages to Roberto’s there.”
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