# Gemelli Italian Deli & Bagelry: Our Story

> A family-owned kitchen bringing classic Italian deli fare, pasta, pizza and New York style bagels made daily together in downtown New Bern.

## The story of Gemelli.

For Piero and Paula Passalacqua, opening a restaurant in historic Downtown New Bern was more than a business venture. It was the culmination of years of dreaming, a love for their community, and a desire to share a piece of their family’s Italian heritage.

## Named for the twins

And even the name is personal.

Gemelli means “twins” in Italian, a tribute to Piero and Paula’s twins, Matteo and Giuliana. Today, the meaning behind the name has become even more special: Matteo helps carry the family business forward at Gemelli, while Giuliana is part of the family’s sister restaurant, La Casetta.

## A deli dream from Sicily

For Piero, the idea of an Italian deli goes back much further than Downtown New Bern.

Growing up, he remembers stopping at a local deli in Sicily before school, where the people behind the counter made him feel like family. He carried that memory with him for years and often told his children that one day, he wanted to open a deli of his own.

After establishing La Casetta, Piero continued hearing the same thing from people throughout New Bern: Downtown needed a true Italian deli.

## A chance meeting

The dream was there. Then, as Giovanni Lentieri puts it, fate stepped in.

> “It’s really funny how the world works. I met Piero by chance on a soccer field in Wilmington.”

Piero recognized Giovanni from one of his Giovanni’s Bagels locations and introduced himself. The two quickly discovered just how much they had in common: not only a passion for food and hospitality, but families with roots in Sicily.

For Giovanni, whose own love of bagel shops began with childhood trips with his parents, the partnership felt almost destined.

> “He came up to me and told me he loved what I was doing, and from there, it was destiny, a true once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

The Passalacqua family’s vision for an authentic Italian deli and Giovanni’s experience with handcrafted bagels came together naturally. Along with Giuseppe Amato, the partnership that would become Gemelli began to take shape.

Today, Gemelli is co-owned by Piero Passalacqua, Matteo Passalacqua, Giovanni Lentieri and Giuseppe Amato, bringing together family, friendship, experience and a shared connection to Italian tradition.

## From accounting office to Italian deli

But finding the right partnership was only part of the story.

Piero had always wanted a place in historic Downtown New Bern, and when the opportunity came, the building itself presented an entirely different challenge.

Before there were display cases filled with Italian specialties, fresh bagels and homemade dishes, the space was home to Brinkley Elam & Knott, PA, an accounting firm.

Turning an office into a restaurant required far more than a fresh coat of paint.

Piero took an extremely hands-on role in the transformation, completing the extensive remodel alongside a team and bringing the vision he and Paula had imagined to life piece by piece. At the same time, they didn’t want creating something new to mean erasing what had been there before.

Located within New Bern’s historic district, preserving the integrity and character of the building mattered. Piero worked alongside the New Bern Historical Society throughout the process, navigating the requirements that come with transforming a historic property while maintaining the details that made it special.

There were equipment tests, licenses, inspections, systems to install and countless details to perfect. But behind all of it was something much bigger than simply opening another restaurant.

It was about creating a place that felt authentically Italian and authentically New Bern.

## The next generation

For Giovanni, that meant sharing the homemade bagels and family traditions that had grown Giovanni’s Bagels. For Piero and Paula, it meant bringing a dream inspired by family, Sicily and years of serving the New Bern community to the heart of downtown.

And perhaps nothing captures the story better than the name above the door.

Gemelli began as a dream rooted in family. It was named for Piero and Paula’s twins, and today, the next generation is helping carry that dream forward.

## Made in house, made to order.

Dough is stretched by hand. Meats and cheeses are sliced when you order. Bagels are made fresh every day and come out of the oven all morning.

Source: https://gemellinewbern.com/our-story