Meet the Italian team who have opened a Roman bistro in Kelowna

Italy is known for its food and drink. Tuscan wines. Campania pizza. Sicilian cannoli.

And according to Danilo D’Alba, Rome took the best of it all, championing pure cuisine that is rich in flavour.

“It’s simple plates with not many ingredients, but very, very tasty,” he told Kelowna10, describing food from his home city.

Danilo and wife Angela are bringing authentic Italian food to Kelowna at Roma Nord Bistro in the Rotary Centre for the Arts. The restaurant will fill a spot that’s been vacant for two years.

The couple came to Canada five years ago, and opted to settle in Kelowna, which Danilo said reminds him of Rome in the summer with the warm weather, local fruits and vegetables, and wine.

Danilo said delicious simplicity plays a key role in the distinction of authentic Roman food because it’s important to know what is being eaten.

Patrons can expect to indulge in such Roman staples as spaghetti carbonara—an iconic dish featuring sharp pecorino cheese, savory guanciale, and rich egg yolk—crisp, pillowy focaccia, and Roman-style pizzas topped with fresh Okanagan produce.

“Cacio e pepe [is] three ingredients: pasta, pecorino romano, and black pepper, that’s it,” Danilo said about his favourite dish that will be served at the bistro. “I know how to eat, [but] I’m not the chef.”

That’s where his wife Angela comes in.

She met Danilo at his family butcher shop that has been operating since 1927 while she was studying biology at a university in Rome. Her passion for food lead to a new development at the butcher shop with Danilo. They teamed up and created a new take-home dining program while she trained with some celebrated chefs in the city.

They developed similar programs for specialty markets in different B.C. locations and now they are bringing their skills to the bistro.

Roma Nord Bistro is open for dine-in and takeout, Monday to Saturday, between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.