On July 26, Fratelli Kanata celebrated a milestone few restaurants ever reach: 25 years in business.
Staff, family, friends and longtime customers gathered at the Kanata restaurant to mark the occasion, turning the evening into a celebration not only of Fratelli’s longevity, but of the people who have been part of its story.
“Twenty-five years goes by pretty quickly when you’re busy running a restaurant,” says owner Richard Valente. “Having everyone together gave me a chance to stop and appreciate how many people have been part of this place over the years.”
For those unfamiliar with Fratelli, the story begins with the Valente family and a connection to food and hospitality that stretches back generations.
The original Fratelli opened in the Glebe in 1996, founded by Valente’s parents, Louisa and Pasquale. Richard and his late brother Robert grew up surrounded by the family’s background in food and wine before eventually bringing Fratelli west to Kanata in 2001.
At the time, the move was a gamble.
Kanata looked very different than it does today. Richard remembers a farm with horses and cows across the street, with the Ottawa Senators’ arena visible in the distance. The restaurant also opened shortly after September 11, during an uncertain period for businesses and families everywhere.
Still, Fratelli found its audience.
Over the next quarter-century, the community grew around it and Fratelli established itself as a destination for Italian dining in Ottawa’s west end. Its menu became known for Italian favourites, generous portions and wood-fired pizza, something that remains a cornerstone of the restaurant today.
“The key is in the crust,” says Richard. “As long as the dough is good, everything else works.”
That philosophy extends beyond pizza. Fratelli has evolved without changing simply for the sake of change. Familiar dishes remain when customers continue to love them, while the chef has freedom to experiment through specials and new additions.
The same balance can be found behind the bar. The signature Fratelli Martini remains a longtime favourite, alongside classics like the Negroni and Aperol Spritz, while the wine list continues to introduce guests to new Canadian and international selections.
But on July 26, the clearest example of Fratelli’s longevity was not found on the menu. It was found among the people celebrating.
Fratelli has retained an unusually longstanding team for the restaurant industry, with several employees having spent 15 to 20 years with the business.
Tanya Aramouni has been part of that story for more than two decades and has helped open five locations with the Valente family.
“Truly, I couldn’t see myself anywhere else,” says Aramouni. “I’ve been through so many wonderful times, some hard ones too, and no matter what happens it always feels like home.”
For Richard, having longtime staff together for the anniversary made the evening particularly meaningful.
“Some of these people have been beside me for such a huge part of my life,” he says. “We’ve watched each other go through marriages, families and so many milestones. After that many years, they’re not just people you work with.”
The same can be said for many of Fratelli’s customers. Some have been visiting since the early years, returning for birthdays, anniversaries, family dinners and celebrations of their own.
“When you’re open for 25 years, you see people at so many different stages of their lives,” says Richard. “Then you start seeing their kids coming in, and sometimes their kids have kids. That’s pretty special.”
That relationship with its customers has become one of the defining parts of Fratelli’s story, and Richard is quick to credit both guests and staff for allowing the restaurant to reach its silver anniversary.
“You don’t make it to 25 years on your own,” he says. “There have been ups and downs, but our staff and our customers kept showing up for us. Celebrating with so many of them in the same room really put that into perspective.”
As for the future, Richard knows his own role at Fratelli may eventually change. He may not always be as present on the restaurant floor, but he has no intention of leaving the story behind.
“Twenty-five years is something to celebrate, but it doesn’t feel like an ending,” he says. “I want to be part of Fratelli for as long as I can.”
For one night in July, however, the focus was on how far the restaurant had already come. What began as a risky move to a very different Kanata in 2001 has become 25 years of Italian food, familiar faces, longtime staff and generations of customers, all worth raising a glass to.
Photography by Ben Joldersma
