BICI
Marcelo Gambarato – Co-Owner, Host
Anthony Devanzo – Co-Owner, Head Chef
What brought the two of you together?
Marcelo: We were both working together in Nyack in 2005. Anthony called me when he purchased Velo, a wine and bistro in Nyack, and wanted me to work with him. We developed every aspect of that bar together and it has been very successful. In 2016, we opened Bici here in Ramsey.
What are some of your more popular dishes?
Marcelo: Pastas and seafood are the biggest sellers. We order fresh fish every day and locally source our vegetables. Anthony makes everything on the premises, including the focaccia bread and all of the desserts. Some of the favorite desserts are beignets with Nutella, carrot cake, and tiramisu.
What’s the secret of your longstanding partnership?
Anthony: We are a team and we complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We each come up with different ideas and solutions for problems. It’s very yin and yang.
Marcelo: We do everything we can to keep people happy and coming back and our team helps us do that. We have had the same staff since we opened, and they are like family. During the shutdown, we did some fundraising to support our staff. We are close with all of our employees and value their suggestions and feedback. We are with each other more than we are with our own families because we work 10-12 hours a day, 5-6 days a week.
Our team is what makes this place special, and I consider myself lucky to have Anthony. He does everything with class and good taste. It makes my job easier—and if he has any problems, he doesn’t tell me!
Favorite food: Malfatti (ricotta dumplings)
biciramsey.com
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BENARES INDIAN RESTAURANT
Ranbir Bhatia - General Manager
Anil Gonsalves - Head Chef
Ranbir, Tell me a little about Indian cuisine:
Benares features an array of traditional Indian dishes reflective of the various cuisines and geographic regions of India. Anil was brought up in Mumbai, which is in the western province of India. He cooks the traditional dishes and the Indian "comfort food" that reminds me of my grandmother!
Chef Anil, what’s your cooking background?
I have been with Benares for two years. I started cooking when I was 14 with my brother’s encouragement because he thought it would be a good career. I’ve cooked for elite hotels in Mumbai as well as a top medical facility there. Their kitchen was managed by a five-star hotel and the hospital often provided healthcare to the Bollywood stars.
What do you miss about India?
Ranbir: We love living in the States, but we miss friends and family from India. It’s much more laidback there than in northern New Jersey, but I appreciate the dignity of labor here. People are respected here regardless of their jobs.
Anil: There’s more opportunity here than back home.
What are some of your specialties?
Ranbir: We offer a variety of dishes for lunch and dinner; and we cater as well. Full flavors and aromatic spices complement all of our dishes, from the Biryani (a layered rice casserole filled with meat or vegetables) to eggplant chaat, a continual favorite.
“We have been very well received by the media and our customers…thanks to this guy,” Ranbir nods to Anil. “No one does it like he does.”
Favorite Dish: Biryani
benaresnj.com
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SANSONE'S FAMILY RESTAURANT
Bob Sansone - Owner
Alex Velverde - Chef
How long have you owned Sansone’s Family Restaurant?
I’ve had the restaurant five years. It’s Sansone’s Family Restaurant because I want to foster the family atmosphere by offering good food at a good price.
Have you always been in the restaurant business?
Throughout high school, I worked at T&W (ice cream shop) in Ridgewood, and I developed a love for dealing with people and the food industry. I had a career in luxury brand retail management, but I would occasionally buy a deli and hire people to run it. I enjoyed starting up a business, building it, and selling it. When I left the corporate world, I decided to buy this place.
How are you involved in the community?
I am a town councilman on my second elected term in Midland Park. For four years I was the police liaison and now I am the DPW liaison; and I’ve also coached a lot of sports over the years. That’s part of why I bought the business; I wanted to be home to coach my two boys in sports.
What’s your specialty?
Chef Alex Velverde creates my “famous” Sansone omelet, which consists of fresh chicken sausage, peppers, onions, spinach, tomato, egg whites and cheese in my own seasoning blend. It’s healthy, too!
Your thoughts on the state of local businesses?
I feel competition is healthy and it gives people options. If we had more restaurants in town, people would stay here and support the local businesses. Any building that’s full of people is a good thing. My customers make it all worthwhile. They come because they feel comfortable here, and good eggs are the bonus!
Favorite Dish: Sansone Omelet
@sansones.family.restaurant
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CAFE' L'AMORE
Michael Mekhail - Owner
Why a wood-burning pizza oven?
When we opened Café L'Amore, I wanted a wood-burning pizza oven. When I was a kid, my father had one and I loved the way it cooked. It creates a unique taste and texture.
We waited over 19 months for its arrival from Italy, including the time it took to get the oven safely transported from JFK to Oakland. The oven weighs a ton-and-a-half and is made of limestone, so it was a complicated process because it couldn’t be dropped. We didn’t open the restaurant until we had it. Now, we make almost everything in it--from bread and pizza to meats and vegetables. People come here just to buy the bread!
What brought you to America?
I grew up in Egypt, and I convinced my family to let me come to the U.S. to finish my master’s degree in mathematics in 1989. However, I preferred restaurant work so I never completed my degree.
Restaurants require long hours and hard work; and you preferred that to school?
My boss always wanted me at work--and I loved it--so, I worked 18 hours a day, 7 days a week. I decided I wasn’t going back to Egypt. Later, my business partner, Sherif Bekhit, and I decided to open Café L’Amore and we’ve been here for 27 years.
What does America mean to you?
I feel that I love America more than most Americans do. I love my freedom and the people here. There is more equal treatment here than where I grew up. I love my customers. Our first-time guests always come back a second time…then, they are regulars!”
Favorite Dish: Pollo L'Amore
cafelamore.com