Ottawa businessman Tony Zacconi has never been so happy to be wrong — at least about his 2021 prediction that large celebrations were a thing of the past. That certainly wasn’t the case at last night’s Taste of Little Italy, hosted by the Preston Street BIA.

The newly renovated Preston Event Centre (formerly St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall) was packed with attendees, along with food and beverage vendors.

Zacconi, who owns the Sala San Marco Event Centre just up the road, wasn’t sure during the pandemic whether his industry would  ever recover. He even converted a large portion of his special events space into a grocery store for a couple of years.

“I didn’t think we’d ever have 400 people in a room again; I thought those days were gone,” said Zacconi, who also sits on the board of the Preston Street BIA. Business at the Sala San Marco was especially strong this past winter, he added. “I’m really happy about it.”

Looking around at the crowd last night, he smiled and said: “I don’t see one person wearing a mask. I love it.”

The Preston Street BIA hosted its Taste of Little Italy food event at the Preston Event Centre on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Taste of Little Italy provided an opportunity for restaurants to come together to showcase their signature dishes, such as The Prescott’s famous meatball sandwiches. Participating was Joe Calabro, the award-winning pastry chef and co-owner of Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana. It’s been around for 46 years. Over at the Heart & Crown, the staff was serving Bradley’s Rough & Tough Irish Whiskey named for the pub’s co-founder, Larry Bradley, who passed away last year.

His daughter, Shauna Bradley, who’s now CEO of the Heart & Crown Pubs, will be stepping into the boxing ring later this year to go head-to-head against commercial real estate professional Jen Arbuckle (Metcalfe Realty) at the Fight for the Cure fundraiser for the Ottawa Cancer Foundation. “I’ve been talking it for years,” said Bradley.

Seen waiting patiently in a food lineup was one of Ottawa’s most successful and prominent Italian Canadians, lawyer Pat Santini, partner of Kelly Santini LLP. His daughter, Lauryn Santini, has been running a commercial art gallery on Preston Street for the past 12 years and is expanding her business to include a retail store that sells home products.

Although Lauryn isn’t part of the food service industry, she felt it was important to participate in order to promote her business and be part of the community camaraderie. “It’s good for bringing all the businesses together. A lot of times, you really only mingle with the people on your own block.”

A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales were donated to Cornerstone Housing for Women, which opened a 46-unit supportive housing facility on Eccles Street last year.

The Prescott restaurant and sports bar was serving its famous meatball sandwiches at the Taste of Little Italy foodie event, held at the Preston Event Centre. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Shauna Bradley, CEO of the Heart & Crown Irish Pubs, with a bottle of Bradley’s Rough & Tough Irish Whiskey, inspired by her late father, Irish-Canadian business leader Larry Bradley. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Preston Street BIA board member Lauryn Santini, who runs a commercial art gallery and soon-to-open retail store for home products, Kelly Santini LLP partners Lawrence Silber and Pat Santini, and David Warren, managing partner of Referral Mortgages.com, at the Taste of Little Italy foodie event. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Preston Event Centre operator Bongo Bicher and his brother, Abbas Bicher, at the Taste of Little Italy event had at the renovated special events venue on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Neighbourhood resident Steffanie Senechal, left, director and assistant market leader at BMO Nesbitt Burns/BMO Private Wealth, at the Taste of Little Italy foodie event. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Albert Chang, corporate counsel at The Canadian Internet Registration Authority, federal public servant Mario Balerna, Dilshan De Silva (director, technology strategy at TELUS) and his brother, Delan De Silva (solutions architect at Databricks), at the Taste of Little Italy foodie event. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Ottawa city councillor Ariel Troster (Somerset Ward) commended the Preston Street BIA for its efforts in promoting the neighbourhood. “We know that there’s so much culinary talent in Little Italy, and it’s not just Italian food here, so it’s so nice to see the variety.”

According to Troster, West Centretown — which includes Little Italy — is projected to grow by 10,000 people over the next decade due to residential intensification, including new affordable housing units.

Little Italy is also seeing major developments on both ends: a modern new state-of-the-art hospital campus is under construction to the south, while the north end is expected to welcome a highly anticipated new NHL arena for the Ottawa Senators. “It’s an exciting time for the neighbourhood,” said Preston Street BIA executive director Lindsay Childerhose. “There’s never been a better time to work or live here, and we’re embracing what the future will look like.”

Still, Preston Street’s challenge will be to retain its village-like charm as the community around it continues to grow and change, she said. “You still have those mom-and-pop restaurants where you’ve got that warm hospitality. That’s what you come to expect on Preston Street.”

Case in point: a stop at the La Favorita Ristorante and Pizzeria table ends up with chef and owner  Nick Shallal piling two paper plates high with pizza and pasta — far more than I could possibly eat, let alone carry.

The Preston Street BIA is committed to honouring its roots through such events as the Ottawa Italian Festival. As well, it’s been preserving its welcoming feel through ongoing beautification projects and street improvement projects, Childerhose also pointed out.

Nick Shallal, the chef and owner of La Favorita Ristorante and Pizzeria since 1986, at the Preston Street BIA’s Taste of Little Italy foodie Event. Photo by Caroline Phillips

This article is made possible through sponsorship from Star Motors, WCPD, Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties, ExecHealth, Infinity Convention Centre, Altis Recruitment, Bell Canada and First Avenue Investment Counsel.

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