By Erin Randolph

A sign on the lawn in front of the old Victorian mansion formerly known as Chat Noir says, "Il nero gatto e scappato" - Italian for "the black cat has left." The Sherman Hill space now has a new tenant, an Italian restaurant expected to open in mid to late July.

At its helm is Tony Lemmo, a 26-year-old chef who's taking his Metro Market business, Cafè Di Scala, and is turning it into a full-fledged restaurant. Well, perhaps the term "restaurant" is a little too formal for the dining experience Lemmo is trying to create.

The property was turned over to Lemmo on June 9, and he now lives in the residence on the second floor, while working tirelessly on the renovations the main floor needs in order to accommodate the restaurant's customers. Cafè Di Scala, named for the area in southern Italy from which his ancestors emigrated, will be open Thursdays through Saturdays for dinner (from 5 to 10 p.m.).

Chat Noir opened in the 125-year-old Sherman Hill mansion in March of 1994. But honest-to-God renovations on the home, which had been a neighborhood eyesore, began in the spring of 2003 in an attempt to restore the space to its previous grandeur. The first floor was transformed into a neighborhood cafè with plenty of European charm, while the second floor was made into a private residence. Chat Noir served its bistro-style food, including crepes, sandwiches and desserts, prepared with fresh ingredients until it closed in May 2004.

Now, the black cat is getting another life as the building undergoes another round of renovations at the hands of Lemmo, his friends and family. The wood planks on the wrap-around porch have been gutted and replaced with fresh cedar to accommodate the outdoor dining area that will seat 18. Inside, the kitchen has been gutted, a bar is being built and the walls are being painted. In fact, the only thing reminiscent of the Chat, when all the renovations are completed, will be the tables, chairs and location, Lemmo says.

"I'm grabbing the baton and running with it," he says. "The previous owners took a house that was going to be condemned and gutted it and turned it into a great restaurant. Now it's my turn to put my own signature on this house."

The space formerly dubbed the "Chat Noir Librarie" will be morphed into a small grocery store for Lemmo's homemade casseroles, pastas, sauces, desserts and more, formerly available for purchase at his Metro Market location, which closed at the end of June. Lemmo already wholesales some of these items to area businesses like Centro and Jimmy's American Cafè. He also occasionally serves up sandwiches and desserts at the Downtown Farmers' Market.
And while the menu for Cafè Di Scala has not yet been created, the food will be simple, yet elegant in a contemporary Italian style, based on recipes from the southern part of that country and made from locally grown and produced ingredients.

Lemmo sees Cafè Di Scala, his first restaurant, as an opportunity to have people over to his house two days a week for dinner. The space was built as a private residence and is not meant for people coming in and out seven days a week. Since Lemmo will live upstairs in a contemporary and loft-like apartment area, and because he's already busy enough with his wholesaling business, the restaurant will be closed Sunday through Thursday except for private parties and corporate lunches. Lemmo wants to be able to do other things with his life outside of the restaurant.
"The restaurant business is a lot of work," Lemmo says. "I've worked with people who've married their businesses. I want to pay that much attention to the detail of my recipes and the way things are running, but I don't want that to be the only thing I'm doing... This is where I'm at in my life right now. I'm not doing this to be a millionaire. I'm doing this because I love food." - RELISH