A new restaurant has opened downtown, and officials are hoping it will spur even more development.

La Pasta Bistro & Grill opened its doors at 1128 Russell Street, next door to CitiTrends and across the street from Braxton Shoes, last month.

Orangeburg Mayor Paul Miller said, "We certainly could use more restaurants downtown. It is like a magnet that helps attract people. By having other people open up restaurants, it is a place where people that work downtown can walk to and eat lunch."

"As we get one or two restaurants in downtown, it generally serves as a catalyst to get more," he said, noting that downtown Greenville has about two or three restaurants on every block.

The restaurant is owned by Carlo Pascarella and Pasquale Doriano, who also own Chestnut Street Slices. Pascarella has been in the restaurant business for about 27 years in New Jersey and owns La Piazza in Alexandria, Va. Doriano is also a longtime restaurateur.

Both Pascarella and Doriano, originally from Italy, have lived in the Charleston area for some time and were interested in opening a restaurant somewhere in the state that would provide a small-town opportunity.

Pascarella said one of the men's food suppliers, who works for Italian food company Bari Foods and delivers to the area, informed the men about Orangeburg.

"He said 'You guys should look at Orangeburg,'" he said. "We looked, and we liked what we saw. It has a small-town feel. It is a big change from the Washington metropolitan."

In May of this year, the men descended upon Orangeburg and found two buildings suitable for their needs.

"We had to gut this one," Pascarella said, noting that the building, which was vacant, needed extensive work. "It took us about three months."

The restaurant employs eight. It seats about 60.

Bernice Tribble, Downtown Orangeburg Revitalization Association executive director, described the food as "delicious" and said the restaurant is a good complement to others on Russell Street.

DORA has often touted the importance of getting restaurants into the downtown area as a key for the further development of the district.

"He has done extensive work on the building," Tribble said. The building, which formerly housed a clothing shop, had been abandoned for a long time, she said.

"This is a huge thing to have vacant buildings filled," she said.

T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5551. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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