Stepping inside of Piccolo Trattoria in Newtown is a bit like stepping into another world—well, at least another country. The rustic décor, coupled with the authentic Italian dishes, just may give you the sense that you’ve been whisked away to a “ristorante” in Italy.
Opened in 2001, Piccolo Trattoria was founded by Fahmi Elabed, who has been in the restaurant business since the age of 12. Back then he was tossing pizzas at his first pizzeria, and it didn’t take long for him to develop a passion for preparing and serving food of the highest quality. From that first job, tossing pizzas in Hamilton, N.J., he moved up the ladder from dishwasher to manager, then he moved to a restaurant in Yardley and worked his way up the ladder. Always a driven and diligent worker, Fahmi ultimately made the decision to go out on his own and create the restaurant he had dreamed of one day building: Piccolo Trattoria.
“It had always been my mission to open a restaurant of my own one day, and I can honestly say that dreams do come true,” Fahmi says. “I worked hard to make that dream a reality.”
Rapid Growth
While the Newtown location is the flagship operation, the popularity of the restaurant soon demanded a second location. In 2005, Fahmi opened Piccolo Trattoria Pennington across the river in New Jersey. But the expansion didn’t stop there. Such rapid growth of the Piccolo name can be attributed not only to Fahmi’s drive and passion but also to the restaurant’s wonderful, homemade food.
“Everything is made using fresh, top-quality ingredients,” Fahmi says. “As soon as you sit down, we serve you warm bread, which we make here daily. That’s served with an herb and sundried tomato oil for dipping that our patrons have come to love.”
Other house favorites for which the Piccolo restaurants have become known include its Brooklyn-style pizza, which is made with fresh mozzarella, basil and olive oil, as well as classic dishes such as chicken parmesan and veal parmesan.
“We’re also known for our homemade gnocchi,” Fahmi says. “These homemade ricotta and potato dumplings can be served in a choice of gorgonzola cream sauce, vodka cream sauce, marinara, bolognese or pesto sauce. It’s definitely something that diners frequently ask for and is a favorite on the catering menu as well.”
For Your Special Events
Piccolo Trattoria Catering is as well known as the restaurants, capable of tackling events of any size or type. In fact, the company has catered every kind of event, from holiday get-togethers to full-blown weddings. With a variety of options and levels of service to choose from, the catering side of the Piccolo business is truly able to help with any need.
For those who crave not only Piccolo Trattoria’s delicious food but also an exceptional venue to host their event, on-premise catering is the perfect choice. Taking away the stress associated with hosting an event at one’s home, on-premise catering allows guests, as well as hosts, to enjoy their event to the utmost. This is an ideal choice for engagement or rehearsal dinners, corporate events or other celebrations such as birthdays or anniversaries. The catering experts at Piccolo Trattoria can assist with everything from personalizing the menu and styling the event to offering a variety of cakes and desserts to cap off the evening.
Of course, the restaurant also offers off-premise catering for those who already have a location in mind. In these cases, Piccolo offers three levels of service: “essential service,” which includes delivery of the catering order; “preferred service,” which includes not only the delivery but also the setup and scheduled pickup; and “premium service,” for which one or more servers not only helps set up the event but also serves the guests and handles all of the cleanup, allowing the host to be a guest at the party, too.
For those who need additional assistance with their event, Piccolo Trattoria Catering can even provide event planners, tents, flowers, linens, tables and chairs, china, flatware and stemware.
“We can do it all,” Fahmi says. “Tell us what you’re looking for and we can help bring that vision to a reality. Whether it’s just a small gathering or it’s a large-scale event, we have the resources to help you create exactly what you want.”
Giving Back
Fahmi has always been a hard worker, a man who is dedicated to his community. He knows it has been the community’s support that has helped his restaurants do so well; that’s why Fahmi never hesitates to give back to the community, and has been since he opened his flagship location.
“Simply put, giving back to the community is the right thing to do,” Fahmi says. “It’s part of our mission. I grew up with this community and they grew up with me. They’re part of our Fahmily. That’s what it’s all about. We’re all Fahmily here.”
One of the ways that Piccolo Trattoria gives back is by supporting local organizations in a variety of ways including fundraisers, monetary donations and in-kind donations. Fahmi says that he’s always focused on assisting K-through-12 schools, youth groups and other community-based organizations. One of the efforts that has been in place to assist these groups is the Raising the Dough Fundraising Event, which provides local organizations with the opportunity to raise funds by inviting members to dine at one of the Piccolo Trattoria restaurants on a specific date. The restaurant then adds up the sales generated by guests and pays the organization 10 percent of the net proceeds.
“Any community organization can apply to participate in Raising the Dough,” Fahmi says. “It’s just one way that we’ve found we can help out. We are a part of this community and we want to support it by finding ways to give back.”
Going forward, Fahmi says he will continue to find ways to give back to the community that has embraced him and his restaurants so dearly. Piccolo Trattoria has become a favorite dining spot for many in the region.
“We like to tell people to come in, have a seat, and let us do the work for you,” Fahmi says. “Don’t feel like cooking tonight? Then don’t! We already have it covered. And you won’t be sorry you stopped in.”
Piccolo Trattoria
www.piccolotrattoria.com
32 West Road
Newtown, PA 18940
215-860-4247
800 R Denow Road
Pennington, NJ 08534
609-737-9050
Photography by Allure West Studios
