A Winston-Salem restaurateur plans to open a vegan restaurant in downtown Greensboro.
Brian Ricciardi, who ran Mozzarella Fellas for about five years in Winston-Salem, said he plans to open Radici at 214 S. Elm St., the former site of Pier Oyster Bar & Grill, two doors down from Crafted The Art of the Taco.
Ricciardi closed Mozzarella Fellas on Jan. 10 and plans to open a new restaurant Jan. 14 in downtown Winston-Salem called Dom’s.
Ricciardi, who eats a vegan diet, began Mozzarella Fellas in 2016 as a pizza and Italian restaurant. He gradually expanded the menu to sandwiches and other items. He also added gluten-free and vegan dishes and substitutions.
During the pandemic last spring, Ricciardi changed the menu at Mozzarella Fellas to 100% vegan items.
“In light of everything going down with coronavirus and not knowing if I was going to have a business, I figured I’d go out on my own terms if I do not make it,” Ricciardi said in June. “It’s what I’m passionate about, so I’m taking a leap of faith.”
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That experience prompted him to envision a vegan restaurant for his move to downtown Winston-Salem.
Radici — which means “roots” in Italian — will be a vegan restaurant and will have a small menu, probably with some overlap of dishes served at Dom’s.
“I know it’s a lot happening all at once, and it sounds crazy,” Ricciardi said. “But I’ve been wanting to move downtown for a long time, and these two situations just fell in my lap.”
