Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Parisi.
Hi Christine, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m originally from Rochester, NY and slowly made my way west, living in multiple states and landed in Colorado for my university studies. Though my focus was on business, I ended up in France & Italy studying Art History… eventually landing me in Italy to live & work (Firenze specifically). Because I married an Italian, I planned to build my life there, learned the language & fell absolutely in love with the culture, especially the food. But as dreamy as living there might seem, Italy had extremely high unemployment and seemed very difficult to earn an honest living… especially for someone that dreamed of being part of a start-up. Because I worked in the art industry, I had no idea my start-up would be food-focused. When deciding where to settle in the US, Denver was still a “cowtown” but with little pockets of neighborhoods being revitalized and very affordable. Denver was full of promise & seemed like a place where there was so much support for small business, a complete contrast to the bureaucracy-laden country of Italy. What was missing though from Denver was a truly authentic modern Italian experience… I learned quickly of the Italian history of North Denver & about some of the classic Italian restaurants (Pagliacci’s, Gaetano’s, etc.) and the established delis of the past (like Mancinelli’s), but it was very different from the modern experience I had just left… a modified immigrant Italian-American culture with common dialects was here, and while I love that in its own right, it didn’t exactly capture the reality of today’s Italy. My partner, born & raised in Italy, felt very “different” from the Italian-American experience.. and we quickly realized that bringing some of modern Italy to Denver might lighten some of the homesickness. And that is why Parisi came to be. While renting a home not far from the first location, a cute little space on Lowell had a “restaurant space for lease” sign on it that happened to previously house Three Sons restaurant (now Cafe Brazil) and was destined for an Italian market & deli. A daily drive-by led to a phone call & an unexpected quick signing of a lease. Then I sat down & created a business plan. Not having any previous restaurant experience, the large kitchen was overwhelming and little did I know it would be the destiny for this little market. Though the shelves & deli cases were full of product & some surprises too for local consumers (Spek, burrata before it was a thing, squid ink for pasta making, alici, etc.), what the customers kept coming back for was the little steam table of goodies from our kitchen & the freshly tossed pasta (puttanesca, carbonara, pesto, gorgonzola & walnut, etc.) & the freshly-baked focaccia panini filled with things like bresaola, pancetta, arugula, finocchiona, fresh house-made mozzarella and so many more delicacies. But what eventually put us on the radar was the pizza, which was never part of the plan. This rickety giant deck oven that was purchased used for a steal was screaming to be put to work… phone calls were made to Italy to perfect the dough, locally-sourced baking stones were retrofitted for the oven, and the idea to stick to a classic pizzeria format came to be. It was a trial of specials but the public couldn’t get enough… soon catching the attention of local food critics (back when they were truly food connoisseurs, not just handy with a camera). We started to win local awards & a nice young lady named Rachel Ray even caught wind of Parisi and filmed us for a show on food network. We officially went from selling products to preparing it for consumption, with a line out the door.
In 2004, Parisi moved to Tennyson, creating a larger menu & dining space but dedicating half the space to continue the deli & market. By 2006, the large unused space below Parisi was renovated into a fine dining restaurant, inspired by Tuscany as a nod to the inspiration for the beloved region we left behind. Firenze a Tavola had a quiet entrance with a speak-easy feel and still enjoys an in-the-know notoriety. We introduced community tables & wine dinners, becoming a regular outpost for lovers of Italy.
As times started to change and grocery stores started to carry the very items that we had a unique selection of, the market & deli at Parisi reduced over time until renovating the space to house the demand for more dining space (and a bar). Though Parisi still offers a small selection of imported dry goods, I try to focus only on hard-to-find items & things that I like to call “edible nostalgia” so that when the traveling Italian or recently transplanted walks in, they immediately know this place is the real deal.
2021 makes 23 years of business… what started out as a successful experiment of “ignorance is bliss”, is now 100% woman-owned (me) and I feel very seasoned… I know my business very well. It has been a wild journey (especially considering going through a pandemic) and impossible to chart, but I’ve stuck to tradition… I’ve watched food become trendy & folks that don’t know much about it learn to love it & talk about it like a passion. When moving to the Tennyson location, it would have been easy to lean into a finer dining concept, removing the fast-casual aspect, but I’ve been adamantly dedicated to being an affordable, casual concept. Trends come and go… but the kind of place you can come to weekly, know the Italian-speaking staff by name (we’ve had so many over the years), watch families move into the neighborhood, raise kids (and even have a few that end up working at Parisi) has made an experience that transcends trend, and has “staying power”. Parisi is deeply connected to the community, and I’m proud to say that now our community stretches far beyond Denver… my favorite recent story being a family that moved to London, was back visiting and had a “must-do” list… we were in the top ten.
I look forward to more years if Denver will continue to have me… it will be interesting to see what happens post-pandemic. Eventually, Parisi will transform into yet another revised version of my ever-evolving dream (but never forgetting the Parisi roots). My partner, who was the Italian muse and namesake of the restaurant, is now raising a family in Florida with his own restaurant concepts. I have put my roots down in the oldest neighborhood of Denver, Curtis Park, and have two kiddos that are very proud of Mom’s restaurant. They talk about Parisi as if I were paying them to do my marketing. Family will always be my focus thanks to them. Well that and pizza, pasta, gnocchi, vino & gelato.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Besides the evolution my personal life took & its inevitable effect on the business (since I owned Parisi jointly with my ex), I would have to boil the business challenges to three distinct events: 9/11/2001
Recession of 2008/9
Pandemic
9/11 wasn’t necessarily a “struggle” but the effects were long-lasting. A surprising consequence was that it felt like the only time our country truly came together to mourn (in my lifetime), and that definitely played into everyday life and shaped a generation. That was a generation that eventually became my core team… 9/11 inadvertently helped develop work ethic that grew my business & shaped our customer base.
Because I run an extremely conservative business model, I don’t have the high risk/return mentality, but I have this rule to always know my realistic break even. Profit is ultimately very important to reward the hard work, but if you keep shooting too high, you will eventually trip if a recession comes around. It has always been my mindset to know my threshold and while that won’t make me a gazillionaire franchised concept, it is one that can survive a recession. Lower prices but high-quality food meant that folks could still feel “normal” dining out and having a nice meal despite a smaller budget. It was extremely tight around here, but I responded with the “economic recovery meal”, trying to cater to even lower prices for family-style meals. Owning the building was Parisi’s saving grace but the ability to wrangle in budgets rather quickly was the ultimate salvation.
The pandemic takes the cake as the BIGGEST out-of-our-control challenge for Parisi. There is NO playbook. No charting trends. And no available leaders to really hold your hand through the process (except for the Colorado Restaurant Association that became a go-to for clarifying all the regulations). None of our legislators were at all prepared with how to handle it so most of us were scrambling to adapt to the wavering rules & guidelines that devastated a large portion of the hospitality industry. Though open for dine-in, we are far from over the effects of the pandemic and I am cautiously optimistic. I do fear that the public has gone through a psyche transformation which won’t just leave with the loosening of restrictions. But we’ve survived this far and I hope the worst is over.
The general struggles of a restaurateur are very real. They are a combo of having food service employees & a being a public venue subject to public scrutiny (and public particularities). My biggest nemesis: review platforms. Though we have good standing and thankfully, most people are genuinely decent & fair, it is very dangerous to give an outlet to the portion of the public that may not have integrity as a key personality trait. I can have 99% positive or constructive feedback but it will always be the 1% that stabs at my heart. I am very personally connected to my business & I’m not sure those folks even understand that not all businesses are run by corporate offices. I take EVERY issue very seriously and hate that people need to be vicious at times when all they have to do is reach out and we will ALWAYS make it better if we made an error. It is truly the biggest heartbreak of this road… but thankfully, I receive unsolicited lovely redeeming feedback to keep it balanced.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
If you put your best traits out there, a good mentor will find you. The key is recognizing your own strong traits… which I did not… I really had to wing it until I realized that I was actually good at understanding business & had very good organizational skills. I modeled people in my family who were very successful in their industries, but it took me a while to realize that I too possessed some unique traits that led to success. I would have loved to confidently learn from a mentor. I feel like I did it the hard way.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@parisidenver.com
- Website: www.parisidenver.com
- Instagram: @parisidenver
- Facebook: /parisidenver
Image Credits
Headshot: Ryan Olsen interior restaurant shot: Dona Laurita food shots & misc: Marla Keown exterior: Joseph Berger
