Days after its closing was announced, the owners of The Village Tavern in Ridgefield said they plan to reopen their restaurant.
In a Facebook posting, chef Germano Minin and Joseph Chelednik, said they gained control of Ramapoo Restaurant Corp., which owns and operates the Village Tavern and Romolo Gastro Pizza in Ridgefield. Minin and Chelednik stated that the news of the restaurant”™s closing was based on “incorrect and misleading information that was circulated last week,” although it will be several weeks before its doors will be open again.
“Minin and Chelednik are looking forward to relaunching and reopening The Village Tavern the last week of February or first week of March and updates will be posted to social media as they become available,” the Facebook statement said.
The Village Tavern opened in January 2017 at 378 Main St. and promoted itself as a “casual spot serving comfort food, homemade pastas, interesting wines and fun cocktails.” The business was originally co-owned by Bruno DiFabio and Minin, who first met when DiFabio was a judge on an episode of Food Network”™s “Chopped” that included Minin as a contestant.
In October, DiFabio, who maintained ownership interests in a number of pizzerias in Fairfield and Westchester counties, pleaded guilty to tax evasion totaling more than $816,000. Chelednik, who is now listed as the business”™ co-owner, is a certified mortgage planning specialist with Fairfield County Bank and a Ridgefield resident.
