The new opening inspired by a symbol of rebirth and prosperity for Tommy Colonna, a new concept that keeps alive the oldest Apulian tradition revisited in a fluid key.
Hi Tommy, tell us the story of Gran Caffè Gambrinus, how was this historic place born?
The Gran Caffè Gambrinus was born in the 1950s by my father. It was the classic post-World War II venue, a multipurpose meeting place where people came to drink coffee and read the newspaper. The first village bar in the heart of Imperial Puglia which had a long history of around 60 years, a meeting place for all the inhabitants and the various generations that followed in the center of the city of Gravina. The tradition has been carried forward with artisanal pastry production, since 1999 mixology has entered our daily lives. It was a real challenge, the South was not yet prepared for this revolution, here we mainly drink rosoli, the after meal par excellence, habits that are still maintained today; so we thought of starting from these raw materials and renewing them in mixing but also on a culinary level. The objective has always been to maintain the key points of the Apulian peasant tradition revisited in a modern key.
How did we come to the conclusion of this journey?
Good things begin and end and unfortunately the Gran Caffè Gambrinus had to close its doors but, like a phoenix that is reborn from its ashes, a hundred steps away in the square that runs alongside the cathedral a new reality was born a few weeks ago: Benni from Gambrinus. The soul of the Gran Caffé Gambrinus will hover in the new place forever, but we took the opportunity to renew ourselves and start again in a big way.
Exciting news for this current summer season, what is the new concept of Benni from Gambrinus?
The new reopening needed an important story, as much as its previous one, and so it was born Benni from Gambrinus, you may be wondering who Benni is, where does this name come from? Well, the name draws inspiration from one of our most loyal customers, Mr. Beniamino, the town's famous bachelor, who on every birthday ordered everything and more in our restaurant: focaccias, rotisserie, desserts; which he offered to the entire neighborhood surrounding the cathedral. He was an important figure for the city of Gravina and above all a lover of tradition, he gave us a Cola Cola years ago, which is a typical Apulian cuckoo and symbol of rebirth, with the dedication "To the Bar Gambrinus family" instead of Colonna, we saw it as a sign of a restart. Cola Cola is a lucky bird like the phoenix, and so we made it ours by taking inspiration from its primary colors: blue, red and yellow with the addition of green, which represent the new concept of the restaurant. Blue like the sky of our beloved Earth, green like the nature that surrounds us, yellow like the burning sun and finally red like the passion that I have carried forward in my work for years.
A cocktail to sip in summer, what would you suggest we drink?
The trend now is to drink low alcohol or gin, I would recommend a Bosco Mule, which is my personal reinterpretation of a London Mule it's a Tom Collins, from the balsamic scent to the aromatic herbs of the Murgia which enhance the sparkling flavor of the ginger beer.
Clelia Mumolo
