Many Middletown residents will recognize Anna and Dave Madden as the creators of Run 4 Downtown, a run/walk to raise funds for the beautification of the city's downtown, or as the owners of Something Sweet Café on North Street.
The couple opened the cafe in 2004, but like many, the pandemic had them rethinking their priorities. So, they decided to reimagine the business as a celebration of Anna Madden's Italian heritage, and maiden name. The result is the newly opened Piccolo Cocina e Vino, which held a ribbon-cutting on June 9.
"From the beginning of Something Sweet, I wanted to offer that Italian part of my heritage, but it just never worked," Anna Madden said. "I knew that moving forward if I wanted to do this kind of menu and idea, we had to change everything."
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A reimagining
The Maddens kept their original café open throughout the pandemic, prioritizing the employees they could keep. As people returned to the new normal, the café faced staffing challenges, Madden underwent surgery, and equipment began to fail. Then, to start off this year, the café lost two key players: its baker and cook.
"We were really struggling for about a year and a half because of all the issues. Everything was going wrong," Madden said. "We really had to start thinking about what we were going to do to stay open and in business. I didn't want to be done."
So they got to work, bringing in Autumn Brown, a longtime on-and-off employee from Something Sweet Café, as Piccolo Cucina's general manager, and hiring chef Giuseppe DeFranco, who owned a wine bar in New York City. Together the Maddens, Brown and DeFranco brought Piccolo Cucina e Vino to life.
"The universe brought us together at the right time," said Madden, who has a pastry arts degree from New York Restaurant School.
"I know what I want to see and I give (DeFranco) the freedom, letting him do what he knows how to do. We definitely work together."
Crafting the menus
On the menu, diners will find an assortment of appetizers, soups and pasta including cavatelli alla contadina (with spinach, mushroom, tomato, garlic, olive oil, and Parmigiano-Reggiano) along with entrees such as a summery branzino, and paninis made with fresh ingredients. For dessert, don't miss the pastries arrayed in a glass case next to the bar.
Diners can purchase olive oils, pasta and other ingredients the restaurant uses in their meals, which are displayed on shelves in a small market area across from the register.
When it came to the wine list, the Maddens and Brown worked with a representative from Empire Wines and Liquors to get a feel for what wines would pair with what meals.
"Previously, our menu focused on a lot of local things, and we didn't want to let go of that," Brown said. "We focused on a lot of Italian wines, quintessential ones that you should have on your menu, but also what someone may never have heard of before or would know the name of. Our thought was, we'll bring something unique; it may be something you can't pronounce and just point at the menu saying 'that one.' And it ends up being your favorite wine and you seek it out at other places."
The right wine and food pairings were important for Madden, who said the combinations are integral to the Italian culture.
"I want people to understand how wine and food complement each other," she said. "That's part of Italian eating. It's part of the culture, and what wine does to food, and what food does to wine. I want people to appreciate that as much as we've appreciated it."
The couple emphasize they want diners to experience their meal, not just have a drink at the bar.
"People are coming in here, sitting down, ordering a glass of wine, having a dish of olives or cheese," Dave Madden said. "It's an experience I've learned with her family − the association with wine and food − and it's such a wonderful way to eat."
It's in the name
The restaurant, with 20 seats in the window-encased dining room and nine along the bar, lives up to its name, as piccolo means "small" in Italian. But it's also a well-known name in Middletown as Anna Madden's father's second cousin owned Piccolo's Market.
"There's a history behind the name and that's important to us because we're such big supporters of the community," she said. "We're all about being part of the community, not just being here and doing our own thing. We want to be a part of everything."
Go:17 North St., Middletown; 845-343-2233;piccolocucina.com. Hours:Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday.
Heather Clark covers business openings and closings throughout the Hudson Valley. Contact Clark via email, hclark@gannett.com.
