Pane è Pronto, an Italian takeout, bread and catering kitchen from the owners of DiAnoia’s Eatery and Pizzeria Davide, opens Oct. 7 in the Strip District. Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Online ordering is available.
With everyone stuck at home baking bread, carbs made a comeback during the pandemic.
Dave Anoia and Aimee DiAndrea, the couple behind DiAnoia’s Eatery, are celebrating the baked good’s popularity by opening Pane è Pronto. The name means “bread is ready.”
The 2,100 space at 2627 Penn Avenue will open this fall, offering fresh bread, pasta by the pound, packaged homemade sauces and hot, ready-made meals to take home. To-go dishes will include greens and beans, lasagna and chicken parmesan.
Bread Manager Nick Malburg, who spent three years experimenting with naturally leavened breads at home before joining DiAnoia’s Eatery in 2019, will be busy at the deck oven baking DiAnoia’s famous Pane è Pronto bread and his classic sourdough recipes, along with new varieties of Italian loaves such as Calabrian pitta, focaccia and ciabatta. Customers also can get pastries.
The building, formerly Choppin’ Block, which Anoia and DiAndrea leased prior to the pandemic, will also house a large kitchen. The culinary team will use it to prepare signature recipes for the pair’s multiple restaurant locations, including DiAnoia’s Eatery in the Strip District and Pizzeria Davide in the Strip, Robinson Township and, coming soon, Carnegie. Eventually, bakers will be able to tackle the pre-pandemic demand for large catering orders and explore family-style options.
“We never imagined opening during such a challenging time for our business and our industry, but with the lease in place, we have to move forward as best we can,” DiAndrea says. “We feel fortunate that, with some adaptations, our concept lends itself to the realities of COVID-19. We plan to start off by focusing on the takeout and family-style meals that have been popular at the restaurants, and expand sandwich and lunch offerings when foot traffic ramps back up in the Strip District.”
