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The Scotto family is bringing their flavor of Italian fare to the former Butcher & Bee space (1085 Morrison Drive, Charleston) next spring. Restaurateurs Theresa and Anthony Scotto Jr., along with their son Anthony Scotto III, describe Pelato as a Brooklyn-Italian restaurant. It’s the food their family made when they stepped off the boat from Italy and settled in New York in 1905.
The Scottos opened the first Pelato in Nashville, and it’s popular for Italian comfort foods in a relaxed setting. They decided to open in Charleston because they have family in the area and always visited the Holy City while living in New York and even more frequently when they moved to Nashville. “One of the biggest reasons why we spent a lot of time in Charleston, besides the architecture, is the food scene,” says Scotto III, “We grew up having fresh local seafood in New York and surrounding areas, and Charleston is just a mecca for that. We try different restaurants every time we go.”
Pelato will serve recipes from the Scotto family. “It’s the food that my family, my parents, my grandparents, and great-grandparents all made in their kitchens at home as soon as they got off the boat from Italy and intertwined with the culture here in America,” says Scotto III. Expect dishes like Brooklyn-style calamari, chicken Parmigiana, radiatori vodka, cacio e pepe, and orecchiette with Italian sausage. The restaurant will also offer regional seafood specials, specific to the Charleston location.
After the recent opening of King Street Italian restaurant Legami, Pelato will join two other upcoming Italian projects in Charleston: Volpe from chef Ken Vedrinski and Allora from the Free Reign group. Is that too much Italian? Scotto III doesn’t think so. “We love the fact that there are Italian providers there, and we love the fact that more are opening up,” he says, “People in the South don’t have as many Italian food options as we did in the Northeast. Where we’re from, there was an Italian restaurant on every block. The restaurant that we had in New York for 30 years, before we moved to Nashville, was within a five-block radius of 20 Italian restaurants. So we don’t shy away from competition, and we really don’t pay much attention to what other people are doing in the market. We kind of just do our thing.”
He further explains that he thinks Pelato will stand out because of its Brooklyn flavors, a creative small plate menu, extensive gluten-free pasta options, and lower costs, due to everything being made in-house.
Look for Pelato to open in spring 2025.
