The dinner table is a special place.

It’s where stories are told, favorite foods are discovered and special announcements are made.

But, it’s also where wildest dreams are shared.

One evening out at a restaurant, the dinner table conversation for the Angeline Cannella family involved opening up one of their own…

The vision was a petite, family-owned shop with a unique product market and food that reminded you of your mom’s signature Sunday dish.

THE PASSING OF THE BATON

The dinner table dream stayed on the back burner for a few years until the perfect opportunity came about. Vanessa and Felipe Angeline Cannella both understood that they didn’t have the expertise to start a restaurant from the ground up, so when the Ferrini family who had owned Bottega Fiorentina since 1994 was ready to retire, the dreamers knew it was their time.

In 2019, the passing of the baton took place from one Italian family to the next, as the Angeline Cannellas became the new owners of the Italian restaurant and market in Coolidge Corner.

It was exactly what Vanessa had envisioned all those years ago and she couldn’t wait to bring her family’s influence into the mix.

Despite being lactose intolerant and celiac (both of which should be illegal for Italians to have), she revamped the panini menu and sauces for pasta dishes based on what she has learned from her mother over the years. While she does the recipe creating and restaurant designing, Felipe does the cooking.

And don’t worry, all of their pasta dishes and sauces can be made gluten free!

LA FAMIGLIA

With her parents both being born and raised in Sicily, there was a strong Italian influence in the household. They spoke Italian at home, they celebrated Italian holidays and feasts, and of course, the kitchen was never closed.

When thinking of childhood favorites, two come to mind: eggplant parm and cannoli.

If there was eggplant parm on the table, it was a special occasion. It brought all the siblings back home and was an event in itself.

Now? It can be a random Tuesday and she’ll be transported back to her childhood dining room in Caracas, Venezuela, where she lived all her life until she moved to Boston 15 years ago for interior design school. Only this time, the eggplant parm will be gluten free, thanks to Chef Felipe!

“[At Bottega], it tastes very similar to the way my mom makes it,” she said. “It’s more of a complex dish that you don’t make every day, but the fact that I can have it whenever I want now, it tastes like home.” 

Her mom may have been the cook of the house, but her dad was the sweet treat connoisseur.

Arancini, gelato, he loved them all. But, his favorite was cannoli and he claims the very best come from where he grew up. His brother and sister agree – so much so, that whenever Vanessa goes back to Sicily, she buys the cannoli cream from town and brings it to them in Venezuela.

Because of that, it was important to Vanessa that they nailed the pastry at Bottega. Her mom showed Felipe how to make the cannoli cream just the way her dad liked it, and it passed with flying colors.

BENVENUTI TO SOUTHIE

Vanessa experienced firsthand what it was like to grow up with parents who were proud of where they came from and hopes to instill that same sense of pride in her own children.

Her two daughters were born and raised in Southie, where the family has lived for the last 10 years. Walking down the streets, Vanessa always thought that Bottega would be a great addition to the neighborhood. There would be something for everyone, anytime.

And so, after a year of construction and people curiously and eagerly peeking through the windows, Bottega Del Sud opened up this fall on 645 E 2nd Street.

“You can come for coffee, you can sit down and have a meal or you can bring fresh sauces home,” Vanessa said. “It’s all about being practical and easy and being part of your routine without breaking the bank.” 

If you were to try one thing off the menu, she wants it to be the Nuvole, which means clouds in Italian.

It’s a soft brioche filled with whipped cream and topped with either pistachio cream or nocciola cream (hazelnut). You can even get pistachio and nocciola cream…together! Are you convinced yet? The best part is the pistachio nocciola cream is used with a cream from a small business in Sicily! It doesn’t get more authentic than that.

Whether you end up getting a nuvole or not, Vanessa and Felipe are still so grateful for the response from the neighborhood since announcing the opening and can’t wait for you to come try their traditional-ish takes on Italian food.

Both the Coolidge Corner and Southie Bottega locations are open 7 days a week, 7:30 AM-9:00 PM on weekdays and 9:30 AM-9:00 PM on the weekend.

So, the next time you sit at the dinner table with your family, why not trade in your own kitchen table for one at Bottega?