Gusto Italiano Market brings Italian cuisine to Bedford

Francesca Ronzio admits she and her husband, Matteo, may have been naïve at first in their decision to immigrate to the U.S. from their native Italy in February 2015.

“We were like crazy people, very naïve people with a dream: to change and to just see how it goes,” she said. “It was just the two of us, and you miss not just your country; you miss people who have known you for a lifetime.”

But the couple, beleaguered by their corporate career lifestyle working for companies like American pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, felt the ambition to build their own business. That perceived naivete has since led to the Ronzios opening a novel dining concept, Gusto Italiano Market in Bedford — a blend of Italian culture as a combination grocer, grab-and-go deli and pizzeria.

“Everything here is from Italy,” Francesca said. That includes the large oven behind the market’s counter, reminiscent of those the couple knew growing up, which is as much a spectacle for customers as it is a tradition for Matteo and Francesca, who hail from Florence and Milan, respectively.

“When people sit here and watch us make the pizza, especially kids, for them it’s a special moment,” Matteo said.

Gusto’s pizza oven cooks the pies at temperatures between 750-800 degrees Fahrenheit and fully bakes them in about 90 seconds, according to Matteo. It took the removal of a window and door frame on one side of the building to install the equipment inside before the remainder of the market’s interior was complete. More recently, they’ve installed an artisanal gelato machine to create the Italian-style ice cream through an authentic process.

The market opened in May 2021 and complements a restaurant that Francesca and Matteo run in Medford, Massachusetts, known as Real Italian Gusto, which they launched in 2015 shortly after they settled in the States.

But immigration is easier said than done, Francesca noted, describing the process of moving to the U.S. to launch a business as “really complicated.” The couple initially had an E-2 visa, which is issued to citizens of treaty countries to the U.S. to allow them admission to the States when they demonstrate investment of capital into American businesses.

Francesca and Matteo Ronzio stand next to their gelato cart, available inside Gusto Italiano Market, which features such popular flavors as almond, pistachio, vanilla, among others. (Photo by Trisha Nail)

The problem? “Nobody wants to open a bank account here if you’re not a U.S. citizen, if you’re not living here and don’t have a job yet,” Francesca said.

While they hoped to open Real Italian Gusto in Boston, they were confronted with the reality that real estate in the city is hard to come by, thus leading them to Medford. There, they converted office space to what is now their restaurant, which was another investment on top of the money already spent on developing the business.

“A lot of money was spent; we were crossing our fingers every day that everything went in the right way because we were not making an income,” Francesca said.

It ultimately paid off, as the business began to find a local following, especially when customers are seeking pizzas — which garner the restaurant 50% of its weekly sales on Fridays, the peak day for pizza. Other booms in customer volume come when movies hit the box office since the property is near a local theater.

Gusto’s pizza oven cooks pies in about 90 seconds. (Photo by Trisha Nail)

Later as American residents, the Ronzios found the Boston suburbs to be a hectic environment, prompting them to move to Manchester, NH, to seek a quieter place for their personal lives while continuing to operate the restaurant in the Bay State. But soon, COVID was another test of their viability, as it was for many other small business owners.

“During the pandemic … the restaurant was just open for takeout, and we were not sure about the future,” Francesca said. “We thought that having a second place could be like a light at the end of the tunnel, but somewhere closer to us so we would not have a long commute every day. There was a time we were doing every-other-day visits (to Medford).”

Enter Gusto Italiano Market, which the Ronzios developed as a smaller venture very much shaped by the pandemic — with fewer seats, not as many employees needed to run it as the restaurant, placing more emphasis on to-go and delivery meals. It also became a necessary model with the Real Italian restaurant having difficulty maintaining employees due to the pandemic, causing existing staff to exit the business.

In addition to being closer to home, opening in New Hampshire gave the Ronzios more opportunities to buy from additional suppliers to stock their market with products like tiramisu, coffee and imported uncooked pasta.

For their second entry into the food service industry, the couple decided to partner with friends to plan the market as opposed to their initial restaurant, which Matteo and Francesca own and operate alone, with a manager overlooking the business in their absence when they’re in Bedford.

“I really learned a lot working for U.S. companies … (including that) companies are made by people, so it’s not the company itself that is good, it’s the people,” Matteo said.

The Ronzios’ work ethic reflects that quality, as the couple are often in the back-of-house of the two businesses themselves, cooking and preparing foods alongside their chefs.

“Everything is a reflection of us,” Francesca said. “These restaurants are like our kids.”

While the couple dreams of returning to Italy, for now, Francesca says she’s proud of the entrepreneurial foothold she and Matteo have in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. She’s next setting her eyes on the idea of a gelato-dedicated business in a different location.

“I don’t go back to Italy often, but every time I go, people will say, ‘You’re so lucky you’re there (in New England) because here everything is a mess,’” she said. “And I always thought that it’s not a question of luck. We put a lot of effort and sacrifice into being where we are today.”

Gusto Italiano Market in Bedford offers a blend of Italian culture as a combination grocer, grab-and-go deli and pizzeria. (Photo by Trisha Nail)