The new authentic Italian restaurant in Yuma is off to a great start.
Located in downtown Yuma at 202 S. Main St., Trattoria Rossi has been attracting hungry and thirsty clients from all over the region since it opened in early March.
“We have had great response,” owner and head chef Diego Rossi said.
Besides Yuma, people have come from communities such as Wray, Otis, Sterling, Akron, Laird and Joes to take in the Italian atmosphere and food.
Diego grew up in Syracuse, a historic city on the Italian island of Sicily. Syracuse was settled by the Greeks in 700 B.C., making it older than Rome. Diego said it is a melting pot.
“We consider ourself a little bit different,” he said.
How did a Sicilian end up in Yuma? He met Yuma native Amy Mekelburg while she was on vacation in Syracuse in 2010. Amy graduated from Yuma High School in the late 1980s. She then earned her degree at the University of Southern California and ended up staying in Los Angeles. Diego moved to Los Angeles in 2011 to be with Amy.
“Every time we came to visit, he said Yuma needs an Italian restaurant,” Amy said, “introduce the people to Italian cuisine.”
Diego has been in the restaurant business for 30 years, beginning when he was 17. His first job was in Germany. The only break in his restaurant career was when he returned to Italy for his one year of mandatory military service.
The couple eventually moved to Yuma. Diego worked at the restaurant at Indian Hills. They were able to sign a lease for the 202 S. Main property last August. Then came the arduous task of remodeling the building, including cleaning out the basement that was full of all sorts of stuff.
They found some items that confirmed the location was the home to J.C. Penney many years ago, and it just so happened that Amy’s grandma worked there
Kevin Morris and Matt Morris did the remodeling, along with Monica King helping out with design and the artwork.
Trattoria Rossi finally opened on March 12 and has been going strong ever since.
The food is authentic cuisine from Italy.
“What he makes here are recipes…his mama cooked,” Amy said. The couple said it is not Italian-American food because Diego did not grow up with it. (Interesting fact, alfredo is an Italian-American food creation, not truly Italian.)
Much of the ingredients are from Italy, which they special order through Sysco, and takes two to three weeks to arrive. Some items, such as beef, steak and eggs, are purchased locally.
Diego said more dishes will be added to the menu as time goes along, and there will be specials.
“We have more than 2,000 dishes in Italy,” he said.
Besides sitting tables, Trattoria Rossi features a bar and lounge area in the back. They offer a full selection of cocktails and beer, including a Japanese whiskey, and Italian wine.
The restaurant employs nine to 10 people, including two chefs Diego brought with him from Indian Hills. He said the kitchen support is great because it allows him to be on the floor meeting with the clientele. Amy deals with the necessary work behind the scenes, as well as serving as a hostess of sorts when opened.
Trattoria Rossi is open Monday through Saturday. The hours are 3 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 3 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Diego and Amy said they open at 3 because people like to come in early for some time at the bar/lounge before ordering a meal. Others like to hang out in the lounge area after their meal.
It is not necessary, but one can call ahead for a reservation at (970) 965-9693. Amy and Diego said it might be a good idea on a Friday or Saturday if traveling from out of town. Trattoria Rossi now offers to go orders from 3 to 8 p.m. by calling the same number.
Drop by in person if you can, though, to take in the full authentic Italian food experience.