The story behind Belmont's newest Italian restaurant

Belmont’s new upscale Italian restaurant is open for business, and taking reservations.

Marrelli’s Italian Restaurant has taken up residence at 33 Glenway St. in what was once Heirloom Restaurant.

Linda and Scott Murphy, the owners of what is now Heirloom Catering and Honeycomb Cafe, announced last year that Heirloom Restaurant would be turned into a private-chef style catering company and something new was in store for the space.

This month the family officially opened Marrelli’s, which is a tribute to Linda’s roots.

According to Marrelli’s website, Linda Marrelli Murphy’s grandparents immigrated to the United States from Italy.

Murphy grew up in New Jersey and frequently visited her Italian grandparents in New York, where the traditional Italian cooking left a lasting impression on her, the site said.

Bringing some of the authentic Italian flavor to the new Marrelli’s restaurant is Italian chef Michele D’oto.

D’oto grew up in Italy and went on to attend culinary school in Modena as an adult.

He spent 15 years after working in the front of house for many restaurants and 20 years after that working in kitchens.

D’oto immigrated to the North Eastern U.S. after meeting an American woman, to whom he was married for many years, and moved to North Carolina permanently after being invited to open an Italian restaurant in Charlotte, he said.

According to D’oto, Marrelli’s is unique compared to other Italian restaurants for a few reasons.

Nearly all ingredients used at the restaurant are house-made or imported directly from Italy.

D’oto and the kitchen staff at Marrelli’s make the pasta from scratch.

Ingredients from olive oil to flour are imported from Italy, he said.

The restaurant is also unique in its focus on modern Italian cuisine, he added.

Where most Italian restaurants in the states focus on Italian classics, Marrelli’s prioritizes modern authentic Italian food, including menu items that are popular in Italy today as well as a few classics that D’oto believes are fan-favorites, he said.

Marrelli’s is open from 5 - 9:30 p.m. Tuesday - Thursday, 5 - 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 4 - 9 p.m. on Sunday.

Reservations are not required, but they are recommended due to the size of the dining room, D’oto said. Guests can make reservations at marrellis.com.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: A new Italian restaurant in Belmont is open for business