From Mint to Dolce to New Leaf, Tecchios make Rondout a family compound

After working as a bartender at Mary P’s, Graziano opened the Downtown Café on the first floor of the Mansion House, gradually expanding what was initially a hole in the wall to a full dining room in the adjacent space. The restaurant was a success, earning a high Zagat rating. In 2008, Downtown Café closed due to personal reasons, but now Graziano is back. The space is now renamed Mint, which opened last year as a wine bar run by Alessandra and Ileana.

In a nod to the difficult economy, he’s spending a day making his own pasta, which is offered on the menu at a very reasonable price — around $10 or $12, including a salad of very fresh greens and garlic bread. Though he suggests the menu is simpler than before, a look at the long list of specials on the chalkboard reveals the same inventive variety. It might include a steak for $16 or $17, a whole fish, such as red snapper, and rabbit. Many customers still don’t know what cuttlefish or bronzino (sea bass) is, but the ingredients are easier to obtain today than 20 years ago, he said. No one has trouble understanding the desserts, which are homemade, of course, and include tiramisu and chocolate truffle.

“It’s a calling,” said Graziano, noting he made his first soup when he was three years old. “My mother gave me a pot and I added some water and an eggplant. Eating is the most archaic way of togetherness. It’s beyond consciousness. Food is about being with someone and sharing pleasure. It’s also necessary, of course.”

The bar remains open, and besides the sidewalk and large dining room, tables are set up in the courtyard. Graziano said he’s also renting out the dining room for events, such as weddings. Mint is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 4 to 11 pm.

Sweetly surviving

Around the corner, at 27 Broadway, Dolce, open every day except Monday, has attracted a following for its artisan breakfasts and lunches. Originally opened in 2005 as “a simple coffee shop” by Alessandra, the youngest of the Tecchio children — she was born in 1978 and was nine years old when she came to America — it’s become a full brunch and lunch place, popular for its delicious crepes, baked goods and bread, most of which is made from scratch by Alessandra.

After attending Coleman High School, she went to college to become an elementary school teacher, but realized it wasn’t her thing. Her father had left the building at 27-35 Broadway to her and Ileana, so she decided instead to start her own business in one of the storefronts. Her husband, Zeno Vanfretti, also opened a toy store in one of the neighboring storefronts, but unfortunately closed after he just couldn’t attract enough foot traffic. Kingston Natural Foods occupies another storefront in the building, but it’s also about to close.

Given the precariousness of Rondout’s retail businesses, what is the secret to her success? “You have to be very disciplined and cannot get greedy,” she said. She said she would like to find somebody who could share with the cooking, “but it’s not so easy. The customers expect you to be there.” She said she’s had success with her employees, all of whom are “go getters with the will to succeed.”

Last summer, Alessandra and Ileana opened Mint, assisted by Zeno, but after a few months they were burnt out, she said, since each already had a business. Alessandra said she is still open to the idea of expanding Dolce or perhaps moving to a new location. Although she is part owner of the building, she pays rent on the space. One of the things she learned from her father was “not to expect to make money from the building.”

Older sister Ileana (born in 1974) got interested in homeopathy after discovering the business card of a Woodstock homeopath at Mary P’s, who she got up the nerve to call.  After graduating from Alfred University she attended the National College of Natural  Medicine in Portland, Ore., becoming a licensed acupuncturist and meeting her future husband, Glenn Finley. After marrying and passing their boards, the couple practiced in Santa Monica, Calif., for six years before moving to Kingston with their daughter, Adelaide, in 2007. California was just too expensive, she said. “We didn’t want to commit to a huge mortgage and work 24/7, so we decided to move back.”

They opened their practice, New Leaf Holistic Health, at 37 Broadway in 2008, which besides offering various naturopathy treatments and acupuncture provides the service of a massage therapist. However, to help make ends meet they also opened a clinic in Bennington, Vt., where they offer primary care to patients. (Unfortunately, unlike Vermont, New York State law prevents natural homeopathic practitioners from conducting physical exams, taking blood and otherwise offering basic primary care.) Glenn commutes to the Vermont clinic once a week and Ileana twice a month.

Ileana also helps out in her siblings’ businesses when needed. “I help organize and try to solve disagreements,” she said. “The three of us is a good partnership. We’re romantic about the spaces we own, so it’s difficult to give them to somebody else.”

Family trust

All three Tecchios — the fourth, Ilario, was away on vacation at press time; he works as a stone mason and Venetian plasterer — said their strong family connection was an advantage. “What’s good is there is absolute trust that you are taken care of and nobody will stab you in the back,” said Ileana. “We have different ideas, but we keep our communication open and express what we feel is important. The way I see it, this was a gift. When you feel entitled you treat it differently. We work very hard to maintain my father’s vision.”

She added that while Tarcisio was a tough disciplinarian, Nella was a nurturer. Indeed, “my mother was an extremely gentle person,” said Graziano. “She was very devoted and was the center of the family. She was a saint.”

The Tecchios also never lost their Italian roots: they speak Italian to each other, and they visit their two sisters in Italy when they can. The artistic good taste that is evident in the earthy but stylish design of the two restaurants — both also display the fauve-like paintings of Todd Samara, including several stunning mural-sized works at Dolce — seems to be a family trait. Alessandra said that one of the sisters in Italy is an art restorer, while the other is a framer.

So, on her visits, what is her sense of how the old country compares to America? Alessandra said she much prefers American values, which “everybody is accepted. You have to work harder here, but there are more opportunities.”

Indeed, Ileana attributed the failure of many businesses in the area to “people getting disillusioned too quickly. My husband and I have had times when we had one patient a week. But we stuck with it and keep working. A lot of people are not willing to wait for their business to flourish.” Besides lack of patience, people may not want to make the work commitment, she added. “We were raised you have to work very hard to get what you get.”

She noted that while her family loves Kingston, she wished it was safer to bike around town, as is the case in Portland. Glenn, a native Californian, is working towards that goal through his participation on the board of the city’s Complete Streets Advisory Council. “I miss the ocean, but Kingston is definitely growing on me,” he said. “I skateboard to work, which is as close to surfing as it gets. If I had my druthers, we’d have a surf shop in Kingston selling paddle boards. The community here is great and we love being less than a mile from work.”