Trevioli closes one door Saturday, opening new door on Blackmon Road

Trevioli Artisan Pasta Company has been tucked away in a storage unit location off Tower Road in north Columbus since 2013, with chef and owner Trevor Morris developing a very loyal following.

That chapter of Morris’ life comes to an end at 10 p.m. Saturday, when he and his staff close the doors on the restaurant and move to a much bigger home on Blackmon Road. He doesn’t know yet if there will be a toast Saturday night to mark the milestone.

“It’s been so busy this week, I’m hoping that we have enough alcohol to last us through this Saturday, to be quite honest,” Morris joked Friday, explaining that he has been selling alcohol at half-price in this final week on Tower Road because he can’t legally transport it to the new location. “So I’ve got to get rid of it, or I’ve got to have a giant party at my house, one of the two.”

(Construction under way on Trevioli Italian Kitchen in north Columbus)

(Job Spotlight with Trevor Morris, chef and owner of Trevioli Artisan Pasta Company)

Morris acknowledged that leaving the storage unit start-up space in which he has expanded and grown fond of through the years will be bittersweet for all of those associated with it.

“It’s where we started and it will be hard to walk away, but it is exciting to be moving on, especially for my family and, I think, for Sanjay as well.”

That would be Sanjay Choudhury, the Columbus businessman who has partnered with Morris on the new 3,426-square-foot restaurant at 7466 Blackmon Road, with the eatery changing its name to Trevioli Italian Kitchen. It also has a large covered outdoor patio space for more dining guests.

Choudhury, who also owns the Wild Wing Cafe in Columbus and another under construction in Opelika, Ala., said the current target date for the opening of Trevioli Italian Kitchen is the second week of April and probably a Friday, which means it — tentatively — will be making its debut April 14.

“Construction is pretty much done. All we’re doing now is setting up,” Choudhury said. “And once the health department goes through there checking things, we’ll start training staff for a week or week and a half.”

After Saturday night’s closing on Tower Road, Morris said he is taking a few days off before making the final push to open the new restaurant that is being built from the ground up. All the tables, chairs and booths are on site now and ready to be set into position.

“I think that with myself and my general manager and Sanjay, we’ll be able to knock out putting the inside together fairly quickly,” Morris said. “What’s holding us up now is the hood (cooking ventilation) system is a big deal. It’s got to be installed by professionals and welded and all of that stuff. And the way that ours is in, they said it was a pretty custom job. As soon as that’s in, it should be pretty straightforward from there.”

Choudhury said the co-owners are still considering whether or not to offer lunch on certain days. There’s the possibility that lunch will be served on weekends at some point, he said, while takeout for those wanting to grab food and eat at their own homes is part of the business plan.

“He’s really very excited,” Choudhury said of Morris. “He was telling me this is his dream come true, so he’s actually going to do well. I really feel that because he’s such a great chef. He knows what he’s doing and has a great following.”

This story was originally published March 17, 2017 at 2:34 PM with the headline "Trevioli closes one door Saturday, opening new door on Blackmon Road."