by Bruce Frankel  ~  

This is an exciting time for David Nicoletta, the Owner and Executive Chef of Giada’s Trattoria located in The Factory on North Main Street.  Entering their third summer as one of Downtown Kernersville’s major businesses and popular restaurants, David is kicking off the season with some sizzling hot new features and events to go along with his exceptional and delicious cuisine.

A stimulating new menu has been created keeping all the familiar dishes patrons have frequently enjoyed such as Chicken Sinatra, Veal Saltimbocca, and New York Strip as well as some new items like Ahi Tuna Caprese and Shrimp and Grits Ravioli.  You can find their complete menus posted on their website to see all the new dishes.

David is also looking forward to competing for the first time in the Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series, which is an Iron Chef-style statewide competition that showcases culinary talent and celebrates the agricultural bounty in North Carolina.  Each evening, two chef teams “battle” it out, side-by-side in a bracketed, single-elimination format.  The Triad series runs through July 7th at the Benton Convention Center and tickets to the dinners can be purchased by the public.

In addition, Giada’s will be providing some fun summer events for all patrons.  They will be participating in Kernersville’s Bar Crawl event, as well as firing up the patio grill on nice evenings and featuring informative dinners with wine tastings and cooking tips.  To spice up midweek, on Wednesday night the bar area will feature the traditional Aperitivo experience of socializing with friends over appetizers where half price wine will be offered.  Thursday nights will celebrate kids’ night and kids can eat free per each adult dinner ordered.  Family style dinners will be served as well.  Due to its growing popularity, Giada’s has also expanded their Sunday brunch options.

Giada’s Trattoria was established in the true tradition of a ‘trattoria’, which is an Italian-style eating venue, with a warm and casual atmosphere, where the food is modest but plentiful.  The restaurant was designed to incorporate the historic structure of the old Hooker Furniture building and enhance the dining experience with a warm, comforting environment that feels like a welcoming family kitchen.  It is this kitchen’s large stone oven in the middle of the restaurant that defines its commitment to serving quality cuisine prepared to capture the spirit and taste of the fresh and finest food ingredients.  Along with its expansive lunch and dinner menu options, Giada’s offers mouthwatering daily specials and their chefs can also handle individual requests.  Plus, the ability to create your own pasta combination dish or personalized pizza is always an option.  Even the variety of daily drink specials is a bonus for those looking to enjoy a relaxed dining experience.

Serving lunch and dinner seven days a week since they opened, Giada’s has had a significant impact in the revitalization efforts of downtown.  Having moved to Kernersville nine years ago, David sees the importance of enhancing the downtown offerings to become a destination that attracts local people to discover and experience.  It is not unusual to see people sitting outside around the fire pit enjoying dinner, a beverage, or cooking up some s’mores for the children to take pleasure in.

With its Kernersville location being in the heart of the Triad, Giada’s has become a popular gathering place.  The spacious restaurant facility offers a variety of table settings and there are several private dining rooms that can be used for meetings.  A variety of small business networking groups meet there periodically and the Kernersville Kiwanis Club has been enjoying meeting there every Wednesday afternoon for lunch.  Even last year, the Kernersville Historic Preservation Society held their bimonthly meeting there so they could see firsthand how the restaurant was able to incorporate the original factory building materials into its design.

Due to the popular success of their growing catering service, David has created Wood Fire Catering & Special Events to serve the Triad with a wide range of available cuisine. This service is great for any type of party or occasion from formal gatherings, including full service weddings, to outdoor fun events where their portable brick oven pizza trailer can be utilized.  The catering service can also offer southern style whole pig BBQs for those who request it.

As you would expect from someone who has been working in the restaurant business since he was 13 years old, David is passionate about creating innovative dishes and sharing his knowledge with his guests.  As a result for those who want to expand their culinary horizons and venture boldly into a new dining experience, David established his exclusive Chef’s Table dining offering.

For the Chef’s Table, David Nicoletta personally takes the freshest natural ingredients harvested at their peak of flavor along with naturally grown organic meats and fowl, or wild caught fish, and custom designs a four course menu especially for your table.  Each course is paired with a hand selected wine.  There is only one Chef’s Table reservation available on any given night and prices may vary according to the availability of certain meats or vegetables, therefore it is best to discuss and arrange reservations and dining specifics with Giada’s event planners.

What most distinguishes Giada’s Trattoria is the ambiance and vibe of a hospitable openness that is appealing to a diverse customer base looking for great Italian food and attentive service.  It is not unusual to see business people in suits, couples enjoying a private meal, or a multigenerational family getting together for a shared dining experience.

David is proud of his active community involvement and his commitment is reflective in his ongoing Chef Cares initiative where he supports many local non-profit organizations year round.  He also supports several local children athletic teams, as well as heading up teenage cooking classes, and a popular Top Chef Camp for children at the Kernersville YMCA.

That being said, David’s compassion and caring will always radiate first with his family, including his wife and their four children ranging from age 3 to 11 years old.  As David fondly comments, “I would never open a restaurant where my kids couldn’t go.”  To learn more about all that Giada’s offers visit www.GiadasTrattoria.com.