A Hungry Homecoming

Before he left Rhode Island, became an executive chef in New York, earned his degree at the Culinary Institute of America, sailed the seas as a cruise ship chef, settled in North Dakota, and became co-owner of four restaurants and a catering company, Christian D’Agostino worked as a dishwasher in a little Wakefield restaurant called Italian Village. He was a teenager back then, dreaming big, imagining his life as a successful restaurateur.

This year, D’Agostino opened Tavern on Main – in the exact same spot that once housed Italian Village.

“Honestly, I chose Wakefield because of the restaurant,” says D’Agostino. “I have a connection with the previous owner and through that I just pursued the opportunity with the current owner of the building. It sounds corny but the whole thing was something that I could not pass up and seemed meant to be.”

True to its name, the tavern is housed in a quaint clapboard building on Main Street, and the menu is diverse: here you’ll find everything from Scotch Eggs to the Seafood Curry Noodle Bowl, plus a range of wines, cocktails, and craft beers.

For the moment, D’Agostino is still residing in North Dakota, where he has lived for 18 years and his son is finishing high school. But he plans to relocate to Rhode Island permanently in the near future. After so many busy years, D’Agostino is looking forward to reconnecting with his roots. “Being sole proprietor of one restaurant and not having to worry about multiple outlets is a bit of a relief,” he says. “And I can concentrate on just the task at hand. It feels good and manageable.” Wakefield