By Ann Marie Byrd, Feature Writer
Gemelli Italian Deli & Bagelry, located at 211 Pollock Street, is the latest hot spot in downtown New Bern, serving up homemade Italian dishes, fresh pasta and pizza, imported delicacies, and authentic bagels made fresh daily.
This newly renovated and bustling restaurant features a full wrap-around bar, ample indoor seating, a spacious patio for outdoor dining, and quick carryout service. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the menu includes a wide variety of bagels, breakfast sandwiches, appetizers, salads, stromboli, paninis, pizza, and pasta. Be sure to ask which pasta is homemade each day—there’s a small upcharge, but it’s absolutely worth it.
Gemelli is co-owned by four passionate men: Piero Passalacqua, Giovanni Lentieri, Paul McDonald, and Giuseppe Amato.
“It’s really funny how the world works,” says Giovanni. “I met Piero by chance on a soccer field in Wilmington. He recognized me from one of my bagel shops earlier that month. 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. Both of our families are from Sicily, and it just made so much sense to partner up on such a great idea.”
Piero, a New Bern native and also the owner of La Casetta, had long heard from locals who wanted a true Italian deli downtown.
“New Bern didn’t have a real Italian deli, and people would ask me online or mention it to us,” says Piero. “It was simple. I understood the high demand and wanted to bring something new to the table. Downtown is the heartbeat of our community. I love New Bern and everything about it—especially the people. Gemelli will be an exceptional and exciting experience for both residents and tourists in our beautiful city.”
“I think the location chose us,” Giovanni adds. “We put so much passion into our homemade bagels and pasta that we wanted to share our family secrets with the community. We’ve had so much love and support from everyone already, and it just feels good. Really good.”
Even as experienced restaurateurs, opening a new business came with challenges.
“It’s different when you already have an established identity in New Bern and you want to bring a new vision to another location,” says Piero. “In the historic district, the regulations are pretty strict. We wanted to maintain the building’s integrity and history while also making it our own.”
Giovanni agrees: “Our biggest challenges were testing the equipment and making sure everything worked right. Getting all the licenses was a big hurdle, along with the finer details like the point-of-sale system and organizing all the moving parts. Piero and I are very detail-oriented, and we wanted everything to be as perfect as possible.”
For both Piero and Giovanni, opening Gemelli has been a lifelong dream rooted in childhood memories.
“I’ve told my kids since they were young that I always wanted to open a deli,” says Piero. “I used to stop by a local deli in Sicily every morning before school. They made me feel like family, and that feeling sparked my inspiration to open one of my own here in downtown.”
For Giovanni, the connection started with bagels. “My very first memory was at a bagel shop when I was a kid. I loved going every chance my parents had to take me. Now, I have four locations—New Bern, Morehead City, Swansboro, and Emerald Isle. It really is a dream come true. I hope my parents are proud because they started this for me by taking me when I was little.”
As a family-owned business, Piero’s wife Paula and their children are deeply involved in both La Casetta and Gemelli.
“I do all this for my kids,” says Piero. “They’re involved in everything, and it’s truly a family business. We believe in building something great that one day can be theirs.”
Giovanni’s children are younger, but they already love visiting and learning about the business.
“We’re incredibly excited about Gemelli,” he says. “To be here and share our love of food and the experience we hope to deliver to each and every guest—it means everything.”