Don Gregorio’s was the brainchild of Gregory Rimini, a man who has recently moved to the United States in order to earn a living. Thanks to an inheritance, he was able to buy a comfy apartment in Montclair, and he grew accustomed to the town. He soon realized that he wanted to bring the true nature of Italian cuisine to Montclair, and so he opened up Don Gregorio’s. His vision was to create an Italian restaurant that made the customers truly feel like they were in Italy, the guests a Italian nobleman in his Italian villa.
He scouted the top culinary schools for the best chef and found a man in Chef Benedetto Croce, with whom he could trust his family recipes. Along with Gregory’s family recipes, Chef Croce added his own original recipes. In addition to recipes, Gregory wanted the restaurant to feel like an Italian villa, so he decorated the restaurant in that manner, as well as making sure that his staff treated the customers like family. The restaurant opened in February 2010, and has sold out ever since.
