Anthony Favazza, who grew up on The Hill and spent countless hours at his family’s restaurant and Amighetti’s Bakery, waxes nostalgic when he talks about the bread, the Original Amighetti’s Special sandwich, and the culture in the neighborhood.
“I went to school across the street from Amighetti’s," says Favazza, whose father, uncle, and brother run Favazza’s (5201 Southwest). "In my mind, the holy trinity of St. Louis fast-casual food was Ted Drewes, Imo’s, and Amighetti’s."
He attended college in D.C., then law school in Virginia before working as a corporate attorney in New York. In 2008, he returned to St. Louis and noticed that the Amighetti’s he remembered didn’t really exist anymore. Founded in 1921, the historic restaurant was at the time serving a Mandarin Orange and Almond Salad, as well as French Onion soup—not exactly Italian fare.
But he still felt a connection to the name and the bread. He thought there was potential for a revival. So about a year ago, he decided to buy the company’s Rock Hill location (9631 Manchester) and the umbrella company, so he could determine the menu and direct the branding. The location on The Hill (5141 Wilson) has a different owner, but it is transitioning to the menu in Rock Hill.
“I saw tremendous opportunity with the history and the heritage," says Favazza, who has several other businesses, including Dining Circle, a technology company that helps restaurants with online reservations. "I saw an opportunity to put it back on the right track and bring The Hill to all of metro St. Louis—and possibly beyond."
Eventually, if possible, he would like to expand and compete with such sandwich chains as Jimmy John’s, Penn Station, and Firehouse Subs. “If you look at the top 25 sandwich chains in the country, not one is distinctly Italian," he says. "But the best-selling sandwich at almost all of them is the Italian sandwich."
At Amighetti's, of course, there's the Amighetti’s Special, "the sandwich that made us famous," as the menu says. “With the Amighetti’s Special, we improved some of the ingredient qualities, but we didn’t change the recipe,” he says. “It’s the original, but most of the other menu items got a complete overhaul.” (The restaurant is now also offering a salad version of the sandwich, sans bread and pickles.)
In rewriting the menu, Favazza had two primary goals: to make sure everything is Italian and to offer healthier options. So he got rid of the chicken tortilla soup and the chili, and then he added ribollita, a hearty vegetable soup—"a broth with tremendous consistency and flavor," he says.
While consistency certainly matters with soup, nowhere is it more important than in meatballs, especially when they're made from salmon. Favazza uses a blend of wild salmon and spinach, and he then finishes them with a light tomato cream sauce.
Other menu items include a Tuscan white bean crostini, a Tuscan kale salad, and an Italian roast beef sandwich.
So what did Favazza's family think when he told them that he was thinking of joining them in the food business, given the long hours and stress? "They thought I'd lost my mind," he says. "But I couldn’t stay away... This is a blast for me—I love coming here.”
