ATHENS, Ohio — In October 2024, someone broke into Tavolino, an Italian restaurant on Athens’ west side. The glass door was shattered with a large slab of cracked concrete, littering the small establishment with innumerable shards. The individual then stole a cash box, which sat tucked away behind the order counter.
“I was having a hard time functioning because I was feeling so violated — this is my space,” said Emily Christine, the owner of Tavolino.
Her hands trembled, her gaze cast downward as she recalled the event during a recent interview with the Athens County Independent. A certain melancholy was present within her that seemed almost unnatural compared to her bright demeanor.
The image of the shattered glass wasn’t easy to picture on the squared tiled floor. The warm eclectic space felt like a cozy space frozen in time.
After canceling the dinner service for that night, Christine was at a loss, until she posted on Facebook detailing the incident.
A woman Christine did not know read the post. She called her husband, who was enjoying breakfast at Bob Evans with his brother, and told them to come to Tavolino immediately. They installed a temporary plywood door within minutes.
Many people within the community showed up to help clean up the shattered glass. Through budding tears, Christine recalled a woman she had never met, who comforted her. The woman sat her down, offered Christine water and talked through the rough day as community members cleaned up the shattered glass.
It seems fitting that the community rallied around Christine, because she and her restaurant have given so much to local residents.
“I just have a little Italian grandma living in my heart.”
Christine recalls with a smile the memory of walking with her godfather and visiting Mistretta’s Italian Market, the shop that used to be in Tavolino’s place on Shafer Street.
“It was a little Italian family-owned deli,” she said. “I always loved this place, it’s such a cute little place — I always thought this is the perfect location.”
After a past attempt to open a restaurant didn’t pan out, she discovered the cozy Shafer Street location available; It was meant to be. She opened the business in June 2017. Today, Christine runs the place with the help of a friend.
Most people’s idea of Italian food are Americanized dishes that Christine described as huge globs of cheese and overly sweet sauce. (Christine pairs every word with enthusiastic hand movements, wiggling her fingers to mimic the cheesy imitation many restaurants try to pass as traditional Italian.)
At Tavolino, Christine focuses on traditional Italian dishes, from gooey mozzarella panini to zuppa toscana, a creamy soup featuring sausage, potato and kale. Christine makes everything from scratch, honing in on quality and tradition. The menu at Tavolino is set; a sign perched on a wooden curio cabinet reads: “Today’s menu. Take it or leave it.”
“Everybody always asked me if I’m Italian,” Christine said. “No, I’m not Italian. I just have a little Italian grandma living in my heart.”
Having grown up in Athens County, Christine understands the prevalence of food insecurity in southeast Ohio. Since 2020, she’s served up free Tuesday lunches that quickly became a staple for many Athens residents. The menu changes weekly and no matter what, it’s completely free to everyone.
The event is so popular that Athens County Jobs and Family Services parks its mobile service unit in front of Tavolino every second Tuesday of the month to offers its services.
Echo Joy Thorpe, a local AmeriCorps member, has been enjoying the Tuesday lunches since 2020.
“That whole (idea that) anybody can walk through the door and they’ve got something to rely on food-wise is huge,” Thorpe said. “I think it’s a big way of saying you have hope for your neighbors.”
Christine also has a blessing box outside, which contains everything from clothing to canned foods.
That connection to the community is part of the reason Christine does not want to expand Tavolino. Scratch cooking, limited seating and her deep community ties leave her uninterested in changing to a larger, more fast-paced environment. She maintains that a business like hers can only work in a place as special as Athens.
“I’m not moving from here. This is where I’m gonna be forever,” she said.
She laughed, picturing her older self sitting in the corner of the restaurant in a rocking chair alongside her friend, who is her coworker.
“We’ll be the entertainment, probably blind and losing our minds,” she said. “It’ll be really entertaining, but realistically, I just keep doing this the way that I’m doing it.”
Tavolino, at 9 N. Shafer St. in Athens, is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Reservations are advised for weekend services. Tavolino’s Facebook page is active with up-to-date menu changes and hours.
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