The Market at Gaetano’s
brings streets of Italy to Batavia By KELSEY O’CONNOR Photos by NANCY MERKLING During the hectic holiday season, it’s always a good idea to keep a few strategic ingredients on hand. From planned gatherings to surprise guests, you never know when you’ll need to whip up something delicious at a moment’s notice. If your pantry is looking sparse, you may want to swing by The Market at Gaetano’s. It’s the perfect place to stock up on Italian ingredients and ready-made meals that can help make the season a tad less stressful. “I love helping our customers get the food that they need to entertain family and friends,” says owner Wendy DiBenedetto. “Everything is homemade and delicious and makes people’s lives a little easier.” The Market is housed on the lower level of Gaetano’s restaurant, located at the corner of Wilson and River streets in downtown Batavia. Guests can find an assortment of Italian favorites, from fluffy focaccia to pasta sauces, all made from scratch. All the ingredients can easily be transformed into a holiday side dish or quick and hearty winter meal.
restaurant – Gaetano’s – to the Batavia Farmers’ Market. The vendors came inside and set up their wares each Saturday. And when the farmer’s market moved back outside in the summer, DiBenedetto decided Gaetano’s should continue the venture. She set up a stand selling her homemade sauces and garbanzo bean spread. When winter came around again, she brought the stand inside again, but this time expanding her weekly offerings to include olive oils and pasta. By now, her market goods became so popular that there was hardly room for all her loyal customers, she says. “I think I started to disrupt the other vendors because my line was so long, and I felt like I was in the way,” says DiBenedetto. So, last summer, she purchased the building that houses Gaetano’s and converted the lower level dining room into a permanent space to sell her goods.
Now, this winter, farmers’ market vendors will have their space on the main floor of Gaetano’s “I have people that come from far away who have heard about our market,” says DiBenedetto. and guests can also go downstairs to explore “The thing they like the best, and what I like the the restaurant’s specialty goods. The market’s selection has continued to grow and now best, is that everything is homemade. We make includes soups made from scratch, take-andeverything with love.” bake dishes – such as chicken pesto pasta – and The idea for the Market came in the winter of fresh focaccia bread. 2015, when DiBenedetto opened the doors of her 22 | DECEMBER 2017 | KANE COUNTY MAGAZINE
DINING & ENTERTAINING
DiBenedetto hand painted the walls of the lower level with a mural of lemon, almonds and fig trees, while display cases show off the assortment of goods. She says that she wanted the atmosphere to be warm and welcoming, while evoking the traditional Italian shopping experience. “One of the things I admire so much about Italy, when you walk by these little stores, they present their food in such a beautiful way,” says DiBenedetto. “I’m trying to recreate that in a way. I’m trying to create the same thing at my market that you would see if you were in Italy.”
IF YOU GO
THE MARKET AT GAETANO’S ADDRESS: 15 E. Wilson St., Batavia WINTER HOURS: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays PHONE: 630-406-3009 INFO: facebook.com/themarketatgaetanos www.kcchronicle.com/magazine