Fort Collins-born Italian restaurant to close final Northern Colorado location

A Northern Colorado Italian restaurant is officially closing up shop.

Cacciatore at Heller's Kitchen, which started in Fort Collins in 2017, has sold and will close its last remaining location next month, co-owner Mick Occhiato told the Coloradoan on Monday.

The eatery originally opened in Fort Collins' Jessup Farm Artisan Village before expanding with a second location in Windsor's newly redeveloped Windsor Mill in 2019. Its flagship Fort Collins location shuttered in fall 2022.

At the time of its Jessup Farm closure, chef and co-owner Troy Heller told the Coloradoan the restaurant shuttered over a combination of labor issues and the restaurant's small size. Heller did not immediately respond to the Coloradoan for this story.

Heller and Occhiato pivoted to open Wedo's Tacos and Tequila — a more fast-casual Mexican concept — in the Jessup Farm space at the end of 2022. It closed in December, with Occhiato citing "personal reasons."

Some sweet eats: 14 Valentine's Day meals to try in the Fort Collins area

Similarly, Cacciatore at Heller's Kitchen is being sold and closed for "personal reasons," Occhiato said, adding that he is a full-time mortgage banker and "it's challenging to do both."

The sale of Cacciatore at Heller's Kitchen is set to close at the end of February, and the restaurant's last day in operation will be Feb. 17, Occhiato told the Coloradoan. Occhiato declined to name the buyer but said they have experience in the Northern Colorado restaurant industry and plan to open a new, to-be-announced restaurant concept for Cacciatore's former Windsor Mill space.

"We just would love to thank everybody," Occhiato said, adding that he hopes Cacciatore's customers come out to say goodbye and use any remaining gift cards by Feb. 17. "It's a sad situation, but it's just something that we have to do and move on."

Farewell, Lupita's: City Park Mexican restaurant to close after 13 years

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins-born Cacciatore at Heller's Kitchen closing Windsor space