Anthony Cerrato, the mastermind behind Strada and The Social Lounge, has a new venture, Gemelli, in the Westgate Regional Shopping Center in West Asheville. With it, he wants to show the world that Italian food is way more than just spaghetti and meatballs.
Taking a leaf from his Italian roots and family cookbooks, Anthony whips up homemade Italian goodness at Gemelli in a laid-back, European-style spot. Patrons can dive into the authentic flavors of Northern Italy for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. By day, they can grab some coffee and breakfast goodies at the counter—Anthony says that’s “a true Italian operating model”—and by night, settle in for a full-fledged dinner service.
Anthony is a second-generation Italian-American who grew up in Nutley, NJ, with a family that practically lived in the kitchen. Sundays were all about big family feasts. His dad moved to Asheville in the ’80s and opened an Italian restaurant, and Anthony followed post-high school to attend culinary school at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College and to help out at the family joint.
Fast-forward, Anthony’s not just running three restaurants; his son Gabriel is in the mix, too. Gabriel’s been cooking up a storm in the family’s restaurants over the years.
“Gabriel came up with most of the food aspect of the menu at Gemelli, which is truly praiseworthy,” Cerrato says. “It’s exciting to watch him blossom and use what he’s learned.”
Family isn’t just vital at Gemelli; it’s in the name. “Gemelli” means twins in Italian, a cute nod to Anthony’s twin daughters, Lizzie and Lacy. It’s also tied to his wife’s astrological sign—Gemini.
With over a decade of experience running Strada and The Social Lounge, Anthony’s got his business model down to a science: serve reasonably priced, high-quality, homemade dishes in an upscale setting.
“My M.O. is about being accessible to everybody, every walk of life, every pocketbook,” he says.
Gemelli has a prime spot with plenty of parking—no squeezing into tight corners downtown! Its chic, modern dining room is perfect for meetings, business lunches, celebrations, or just a regular meal.
For breakfast, you’ve got to try the Gemelli Benedict Hash: diced steak and potato hash, poached eggs, paprika hollandaise, scallions, and ciabatta. And for dinner? The Gemelli Pasta is a hit: homemade paprika pasta, lamb sausage, broccolini, lamb-anchovy butter, and Grana Padano cheese.
Gemelli goes local for produce and proteins but brings in the good stuff from Italy, like coffee beans and house wine. Their pasta is all made in-house with an Italian-imported pasta machine. They churn out hundreds of pounds of fresh pasta every week—some of which you can even buy uncooked to whip up at home.
Anthony’s also big on supporting his team. “Work culture is the most important part of the restaurant
