The story of Rizzoni’s Ristorante Italiano began many recipes ago under the passionate guidance of two Italian families, a personal love for Italian food and a lack of authentic Italian cuisine in Trinidad, which all started with the owner, Ryan Chin, the eldest of three siblings who spent his youth in Trinidad.
He led an active childhood which was fortified by his love for sports—playing tennis and football.
From a tender age, Chin and his siblings knew that they would have to grab life by the horns and work hard for what they wanted.
It is this life philosophy that later saw them all becoming entrepreneurs. Together they now own a chain of restaurants which are operated by Chin.
With an undying love for Italian food and a keen eye for business, Ryan noticed that something was missing from the local restaurant scene—that something was the authenticity of a true Italian experience in Trinidad.
“For starters, I love Italian food; always have, so looking to get involved in an Italian restaurant was inevitable. At the time, Trinidad did not have many Italian restaurants and in particular, nothing truly authentic. With Italian food being so versatile, we worked with restaurant consultants as well as travelled to get a better understanding of the cuisine. We spent some time with two particular families who were chefs in Italy that assisted in many creations of our dishes at inception, and only a few months later in hindsight, we realised they had an even greater impact than we thought,” he said.
“The surnames of the two chefs were Rizzo and Pisoni and it was only fitting after all the support and hospitality they shared, that the fusion of both their names Rizzo and Pisoni would leave us with the name Rizzoni’s to recognise this culinary journey that brought us here,” Chin said.
In starting the restaurant, the team tapped into their creativity and leveraged the versatility of Italian food to create unique dishes that would later steal the hearts of many Trinidadian people.
They invested in the expertise and sourced the finest authentic ingredients for all dishes.
“With Italian food being so versatile and our years of experience in the restaurant business, we found that we could be more creative both in menu and design to create a brand that we could entirely call our own. All of our sauces as well as pizza flour are from Italy using the freshest and highest quality ingredients. Right down to our brick oven for the pizzas and fresh focaccia bread, we bake daily—and this is very important for us in-keeping with our Italian concept brand Rizzoni’s,” added Chin.
Chin further explained that currently, Rizzoni’s has two locations, the flagship site located in MovieTowne, Port of Spain, which boasts a more classical, Tuscan feel, featuring elite stonework and craftsmanship with its eye-catching open kitchen concept.
Contrastingly, the second location is situated in the south-Trinidad MovieTowne and offers a more rustic look with a New York-style Italy theme and the design mirrors the yellow cabs and city life scenes on the streets of New York.
Over time, Chin felt like something was missing and restaurant trends started to change because of the pandemic, so he took a trip.
“I did some travelling in the US as I usually do as I felt that the flagship Rizzoni’s location was missing something and also after being around for nine-plus years, I wanted to add something but was not sure what. On my travels, I noticed that restaurants were turning into a more upbeat and lounge-type vibe after a certain time – not essentially a nightclub, but a concept of dining meshing together with nightlife and upbeat music in a lounge atmosphere—essentially the best of both worlds—and I instantly envisioned taking Rizzoni’s to the next level as Trinidad, on the whole, is starved for entertainment. Then it happened! Almost like a match-made business transaction—a push in the right direction,” Chin said.
“It so happened Amco (Alstons Marketing Company Ltd), the local distributors for Aperol, approached me one day looking to add Aperol as a brand especially as Rizzoni’s was Italian and so was Aperol, and they were right—it was a perfect fit—however, what they initially intended and what I wanted were on two different scales. Amco wanted to be a bit more passive at the start and I wanted to go big or go home so to speak – we either look to do this big or we don’t do it at all,” Chin said.
The elegant Italian liquor closely embodies the spirit of summer and encourages persons to share joyous memories together. Its lush orange colour is often described as a picturesque Italian sunset. For this reason, it was the perfect addition to Rizzoni’s Ristorante Italiano and so Chin capitalised on the partnership and did a complete rebranding of the flagship location.
“Aperol has added an additional attraction both from the cocktail itself and from the visual appeal that it brings, which was the concept behind our La Terrazza Rizzoni’s design. Aperol is very versatile and every day we come up with not only different cocktails with it, but we have also added it to some new desserts.”
Chin said he has big aspirations for the thriving business and a message for his esteemed consumers.
“I want Rizzoni’s to sell the most Aperol Spritz cocktails—already this potential is being seen I believe. Apart from sales, it has also been well received by the guests themselves who love this new intimate and trendy space. When people visit our restaurant, we want them to leave with great memories and an unforgettable experience—because we love what we do.”