Gemelli’s new location in Biltmore Village preserves the past for the present
“When you take on an older, historic building, you want to make the renovation with integrity and
intention, preserve the spirt of the space and shine a light on its history,’ says chef/restaurateur
Anthony Cerrato, owner of downtown Asheville’s Strada Italiano and the Social Lounge rooftop
cocktail bar. “You want to keep the bones and build back from there.”
That tenet served as the foundation and a daunting challenge for Cerrato when he took on the
audacious task of repairing, restoring and renovating a century old building in Biltmore Village to
become the new home for Gemelli, the restaurant he opened in Westgate Shopping Center
September 12, 2022. Conceived as an all-day, contemporary Italian eatery with multiple dining
experiences and menus, Gemelli (Part I) took over a corner of the 70-year-old strip center;
his wife Jennie Cerrato contributed to the transformation of the former Green Sage café; son
Gabe Cerrato came home from Denver to serve as chef de cuisine.
Though Gemelli was well-received, it became clear to Anthony Cerrato that its location was
holding back its goals and vision, and he began looking for options. “I didn’t own the building, so
I didn’t have the control I like to have. The concept is great, but we couldn’t reach its potential
there.”
Helene threw all of Asheville into uncertainty and hit the younger Gemelli harder than the
veteran Strada. The disaster was particularly devastating to Biltmore Village, razing many
structures and closing every business.
But when the owner of the address that had been home to two successful restaurants – Rezaz
Mediterranean for 18 years, then Andaaz Indian for five more – called Cerrato to feel out his
interest in purchasing the two-story brick building, well, you know what they say about offers
impossible to refuse.
In June 2025, Cerrato got the keys to a property that was, in his words, ‘completely trashed.’
“There was no flooring, anything that had been sheet rock was gone, all the plumbing and
electrical were gone, there weren’t even doors or windows. The only piece of equipment in the
kitchen that survived was the hood.”
The rebuild team – led by Falcon Construction – started practically from scratch, which can be a
good place to start. “We opened Strada in 30 days back in 2012 and did the best we could with
what we had,” he recalls. “With this, we were able to be fully intentional about the aesthetic, the
feel. There are many layers and a lot of depth and a story behind everything. Jennie and Gabe
had a lot of input on the colors and materials to make it intimate and cozy, historical and
whimsical.”
The bar top was sent to a granite craftsman in Weaverville to restore, then set on the salvaged
stained white-oak base; windows were revealed behind multiple layers of bar back; walls were
painted deep, earthy tones; gleaming wood floors installed and booths carved into little nooks.
Leather and velvet upholstery provide sensuous texture; whitewashed brick walls are hung with
vintage black and white photos, rustic ivory plaster splashed with colorful Italian advertising
posters.

The brand-new kitchen dazzles, particularly the copper-cladded backsplash and wall behind the
stove top, a wood assisted grill and a chef’s table that can seat 6-8 with a separate cooking
station for ultra-personal service. Fresh pasta is made daily, and the prep process can be
viewed through a storefront window.
The culinary team is led by executive chef Gabe Cerrato, with chef de cuisine Chuck
Baudendistle (most recently from The Admiral) and executive pastry chef/baker Mahsa Golabi,
who traded in her white doctor’s coat for a white chef’s coat, and worked under top talents in
Atlanta, LA and Manhattan.
“I’ve always loved Biltmore Village and after Helene, it was clear it needed people to invest and
commit to bringing it back. I believed the Gemelli concept and ethos would be a good fit here in
this special place and that I had the team to do it. We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished but
we’re really just getting started. There’s a lot to look forward to here.”
THE MENU
“I asked Gabe and Chuck not to change more than 50% of the menu. They changed about
80%,” he says with a laugh. But I love everything they did and the new menu really represents
this new space.”
The menu unrolls through six sections – antipasti (starters); spuntini (sides or small vegetable-
driven plates); insalata (salads); primo (pasta); secondo (mains, proteins); and dolce (desserts).
“Italians love to eat and to gather,” Cerrato says. “If you want to have the true Italian experience,
plans to spend a lot of time at the table, share a lot of food and drink a lot of wine.”
Antipasti: “The meatballs and arancini are the same; the bread is now house made; the
calamari and mussel dishes are changed a bit; the bruschetta is new, and the dates. They’re so
simple – sauteed in extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkled with some flake salt – and so craveable.
They taste like salted caramel.”
Spuntini: “The whole section is new. The sweet potatoes are Japanese, fire-roasted with extra
virgin olive-oil, garlic-whipped mascarpone, orange zest and chive. We’re making our own nduja
(sausage) with smoked salami and Calabrian peppers and serve it as a spread with house
bread.”
Insalata: “We’re using gem lettuce on the Caesar now. Gabe came up with the radicchio salad
with stracciatella, citrus, radish, chive and white anchovy vinaigrette. The kale salad is Chuck’s
– massaged kale with fried chickpeas, red onion, ricotta salata and a caper vinaigrette.”
Primo: “We can’t take off or change the cacio e pepe; the lasagna is the same and the ravioli,
they’re the only three from the old menu. We took the gemelli pasta shape out of the Gemelli
pasta dish and the gemelli pasta shape is now used in Gemelli Alla Vodka, with grana,
stracciatella, basil and Calabrian chili, so it has a little burn to it. Bucatini is my favorite pasta
shape, and it’s made like the original Gemelli recipe with unsmoked paprika bucatini, cured
lamb sausage, broccolini and anchovy lamb fat butter. Squid ink linguini is new.”

Secondo: “Everything in that section is new except the burger and the truffle risotto. I’m really
excited about the Bistecca Alla Fiorentina, it’s a beautiful cut of prime porterhouse, cooked on
the grill and very simple — olive oil, grilled lemon and roasted artichokes.”
Dolce: “The tiramisu is the same, it’s a family recipe and won’t change. But everything else is
new, we’re making our own cannoli cream and shells and Mahsa has come up with a gluten-free
buckwheat shell. She’s having fun with the dessert menu.”

Gemelli’s