By Anne W. Semmes
On the corner of busy East Putnam and River Road in Cos Cob is an Italian gourmet deli that has had a steady stream of customers pushing towards 20 years, founded as it was in 2005 as Villa Nuova. And there to greet them is hard working owner Orlando Fernandez. On this day that steady stream seemed to be hungry young men, with one tall enough to be seven feet. Basketball player? No, says Orlando, “He’s a pilot. I’ve seen him grow up from when he was little.”
Yes, those steady through-the-years customers come in the door with some heading for the prepared dishes on display, the meat or eggplant lasagna, the chicken scarpariello or marsala, lemon chicken, or the sauteed mushrooms & onions with parmesan cheese, or Orlando’s favorite sauteed broccoli rabe. Or maybe they’ll order their favorite panini or hero sandwich with more than 30 choices to choose from!
Orlando started his cooking career aged 10 in his dad’s Deli Delight in Portchester. “He was 41,” tells Orlando, and his family are Portuguese not Italian. Orlando is named for his uncle. “He and my dad fought together in the Portuguese Colonial War.” But it was leaving his dad’s employ at age 16 and working for that Italian family’s Casa D’Italia deli in Harrison that Orlando was mastering those Sicilian Italian dishes. And he was perfecting that mozzarella cheese making that is a customer favorite.
It was after returning to work for his dad on his way to retirement that Orlando dreamed of opening his own deli. Then someone shared, “There’s a deli for sale in Cos Cob, Villarena.”
But Villarena was a franchise wanting Orlando to sell their pre-made foods. “I told them,” he tells, “I would never sell pre-made foods made at a warehouse three days ago – we make our food fresh…So, I didn’t want to make a big, elaborate name change. So, I just changed it to Villa Nuova.”
Certainly all new, and high end and freshly made Italian food, with all sorts of Italian breads, including a favored multigrain bread from Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. But then there are imported pastas from Italy, so that now the small interior of Villa Nuova is stacked high with an intriguing choice of products from Italy – and hanging overhead are those pork legs promising the finest prosciutto.
But it’s those refrigerated cases displaying the most elegant ice cream desserts that also catch the eye. Imported flute glasses of gelatos in flavors of Pistachio, Limoncello, Chocolate and Guava Mango (while in another case Orlando’s cannoli sits waiting).
“When I first got here,” shares Orlando, “The Bindi Gelato Selection was here. But they didn’t have the full brand. So, I started tasting it. And it’s a really good product. It’s made in Italy and shipped over.”
“You just keep on adding,” he says, “and you just evolve. If you find something you like, you keep on selling it, you like it. But I’ve tried everything in here. If I don’t like it, I would just never buy it again.” But he emphasizes, “Only 25 percent of the stuff in here is made in Italy, the rest is made inhouse like the chicken parmesan, and the mozzarella is fresh.”
“We do peppers, meatballs, all the vegetables, everything in smaller portions,” he adds, “Nothing big. Broccoli Rabe, very small. We make more if we need to. It’s not hard to make. It’s just maintaining it. That’s all it is.”
So, what about this does Orlando like? “When I leave,” he says with a slight smile. “Because it is hard work. I cook, and so does my chef. I start at 5:30 am making the dressings, preparing the salads, cutting the vegetables…so it’s easy to process all the food out. And then, you put it together, and you sell it. And then, you clean up, and you start all over again.”
“We open at 8:30,” he continues, “and we’re always closed at 3:00. In the beginning, it was 6:00, and then it went to 5:00, and then to 4:00, and then to 3:00. Eventually, it’ll probably go to 2:00.”
And why at 2? “Because life is too short. And you have to enjoy life with loved ones.” Orlando has a wife, a stepson – and two dogs. “I want to spend time with them more as I get time.” He looks back on the beginning of his business: “I used to be buried in here for 17 hours a day, 16 hours. And then you start learning how to multitask more and more. You get faster and faster. So, it just took time. But now it’s like a fine wine. Now, I’m like a fine wine. I perfected it.
“Now I get out by 4:30-ish, 5:00-ish. It’s not bad. Better than 7:00 or 8:00.” And no more Sundays. “I closed Sunday two or three years ago.”
There’s no question that Orlando Fernandez has practiced due diligence. It’s in his genes.
“My dad was a bartender, and he worked in a restaurant. He worked in the kitchen. He worked as a waiter. He did, like me, run around like a maniac. And basically, my mom was the same thing. Hard worker, worked in the kitchen. She moved like an animal. We all work. We know how to work. We’re a working family.”
And the bottom line for Orlando is, “I love the deli business, even now. It’s been a long time. I’ve been in it approaching 31 years, at [age] 41.” And what is he looking forward to?
“Christmas is always the special moment. We do a lot of trays of food. We do tons of antipasti and tons of hot food. We’re just a busy Italian deli, which is a local deli. It’s nice.”
