Bates Area Civic Association

Zuppa Fresca Opens in NoMa

Washington, D.C., January 17, 2012 – NoMa’s newest chef-driven
restaurant, Zuppa Fresca, opened ahead of schedule December 31, with a
fresh menu and relaxed atmosphere. Located in the Loree Grand at Union
Place, at 250 K Street, NE, Zuppa Fresca is a Sicilian-themed
restaurant. View the menu <http://www.zuppafre sca.com/Menu. html> .

Entrepreneurs John Kennan and Chef Alfio Celia are hoping Zuppa Fresca
becomes the favorite dinner spot for NoMa residents. “Everybody’s been
waiting for a neighborhood spot like this for so long,” Kennan said.
“The people who have dropped in have been so impressed by the food and
the service, and they’ve been saying how great it is to have a space
like this.”

“Everything is fresh and prepared here, even down to the mayo and daily
quiche crust,” said Chef Celia, a Sicilian native who spent much of his
childhood in restaurant kitchens around the Eastern Shore. When Celia
was about 12, his restaurateur father was waylaid on a delivery and
didn’t return in time for the restaurant’s dinner service. Unbeknownst
to his father, Celia had been taking lessons directly from the chef for
months after he finished his homework. When both his father and the chef
were unavailable, Celia jumped into the line and started preparing the
food for waiting patrons. “When I walked out, my dad had been sitting at
the bar watching the food come out, and he was laughing,” Celia
remembered. “The first day my dad learned I could cook is definitely a
favorite childhood memory.”

Celia is bringing his Sicilian heritage into Zuppa Fresca’s menu. The
desserts are recipes from his grandmother’ s dessert shop on Sicily. The
restaurant offers a fresh, light menu of soups, salads, quiche and
paninis. Chef Celia is planning a unique dinner menu focused on seafood,
chicken and veal, which will be launched when the restaurant acquires
its liquor license within the next few months. Meanwhile, Zuppa Fresca
is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday
through Sunday. The restaurant is situated between the Union Station
Metro and New York Avenue Metro stations, just blocks from the NoMa
Harris Teeter and two blocks from H Street, NE.

Zuppa Fresca has hired 21 people, most of whom live in the NoMa area.
The restaurant seats 70, with the capability for another 60 seats
outside during warmer weather. Residents of Loree Grand, Senate Square,
425 Massachusetts Avenue and The Washington Center will receive a
discount on meals for a limited time.

Zuppa Fresca is the ninth restaurant to open in NoMa in the last 18
months, and the second chef-driven concept here, after Todd Gray’s
Watershed opened in April 2010 at the Hilton Garden Inn.