To realize their big dream, Elana and Nate Pearlman went small. Their soon-to-open restaurant, Piccolina, occupies just 800 square feet, split equally between the kitchen and dining room.
When it launches later this month with a menu devoted to Italian sandwiches, Neapolitan-style pizza and desserts, Piccolina will join culinary colleagues ButterPunk and Crusco in the post-Helene revitalization of Depot Street in the upper River Arts District. Though the Pearlmans are the new kids on the block, they arrive with solid resumes.
The couple met at the Culinary Institute of America in 2012 — Nate was in the culinary program, and Elena studied pastry. After graduating in 2014, they spent a decade in Austin, Texas, where Nate climbed the chef ladder through the city’s restaurant kitchens and Elana ultimately started her own wedding cake business. It’s also where they got married…