Max Fath, whose parents owned Toscano Café Bistro in Richmond for 14 years until they retired in 2017, will reopen the Italian restaurant in Williston as Toscano Bistro. He said he’s aiming for mid-December after completing renovations to Suite 105 at 32 Cottonwood Drive. The space was most recently occupied by Jr’s Williston and Sidebar, which both closed in July. (Junior’s Winooski remains open.)
The reborn Toscano will offer the restaurant’s time-tested menu with a few updates, said Fath, 35. Dishes will include the “infamous” Caesar salad, fried calamari, shrimp and scallop fra diavolo, and wild mushroom ravioli.
Fath will be the sole “very hands-on” owner, though his parents are advising him. He was 13 when chef Jon and Lucie Fath opened the original restaurant. “I grew up in the family business,” Fath said, starting as a busboy and working his way up to general manager.
Shortly before his parents decided to retire, Fath got his real estate license, having reluctantly concluded that he couldn’t run Toscano without culinary training. He kept a toe in the industry, working for Jr’s Williston before it closed.
But Fath still hoped to reopen the family’s restaurant, he said, and looked at several buildings with his father. When former Toscano cook Dan Gutches said he was in and the Williston space became available, “the stars aligned,” Fath said.
Toscano’s 100-seat main dining room will be in the former Sidebar. The 50-seat neighboring space that was Jr’s Williston will host private events.
This article appears in Nov 6-12, 2024.
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