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The husband-and-wife team behind Gersi, Susannah Proctor and Gersi Mamega
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Gersi is located at 805 N. Davis Ave., in the space most recently occupied by Swan Dive.
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A table by the window in Gersi
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The dining room inside Gersi
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Gersi has a small cocktail menu, along with wines and a few beers on draft, including the Italian lager Peroni.
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Gersi aims for a homey feel inside the restaurant, with mismatched plates and vases of flowers adorning tables.
The space at 805 N. Davis Ave. has seen a number of restaurant tenants over the years. For a long time it was Avenue 805, then The Betty on Davis, followed by a French concept from Kevin Roberts (of Perly’s and the bygone Black Sheep), Swan Dive, which shuttered in late April. While some may consider the location to be “cursed,” current tenants Susannah Proctor and Gersi Memaga are experienced hands at bringing life to properties with a similar reputation.
When the couple opened the doors of their Italian eatery, Gersi, on Monday, Oct. 1, it marked a new beginning for the transplants from Brooklyn, New York.
The husband-and-wife team opened the first location of Gersi in Brooklyn in July 2016. They had been approached by a real estate agent who knew they had been looking to open a restaurant, and they flipped the space in 90 days.
“People said, ‘Four restaurants have failed in that space. What are you doing?’ ” recalls Proctor, a Richmond native.
“Or, ‘Just what we need, another Italian restaurant,’ ” Memaga echoes as we sit at the marble-top tables inside their second restaurant.
But while people chattered and speculated, the Brooklyn Gersi became a success.
“It was packed, and has been packed,” Proctor says of their original cozy eatery in the Carroll Gardens area of the borough. “It was like people were starving for that kind of food in that little neighborhood, an Italian neighborhood.”
The couple, who met while working in restaurants, experienced a bit of déjà vu in Richmond. They were approached earlier this year by the owner of the Davis Avenue building, who knew they had been scouting the Richmond area and was familiar with their New York restaurant.
"This is something we’ve really wanted to do for a long time,” says Proctor. “Our Brooklyn location is doing really well, but we had to get to that point where we could walk away and focus on this. I would still say flipping a restaurant six hours away from where you live, in four months, if you speak to any restaurateur, they will tell you that is crazy.”
Memaga, originally from Albania, grew up under Communist rule until he was 10 years old. But through television, radio and cousins who emigrated to Italy and then returned, he learned how to speak Italian. In 2002, at 21 years old, he moved to New York City and worked his first industry job as a busser at an Italian restaurant.
“I had two great mentors, and I fell in love with Italian wine first, and then food,” Memaga says. After managing restaurants for 12 years, he had learned the ins and outs of the business.
“It kind of all came together, and we opened up the restaurant [Gersi in Brooklyn] six blocks from our house."
At their Brooklyn outpost, they say the majority of their clientele is from the surrounding neighborhood. They hope the same happens here in Richmond.
“We’re very into regulars and people from the neighborhood; those are the people that keep you going — knowing people’s names, knowing their family,” explains Proctor, who also notes that a number of people have stopped in to say hi and have been excitedly anticipating the opening.
“We love people that come in two to three times a week, and for us to be an extension of their kitchen and family, that’s what we try to do as well, focus on a space that feels like a home, like Grandma’s house,” Memaga says.
The interior of the space has been brightened with an off-white wallpaper, while chandeliers of various shapes and sizes hang from the ceiling. Tables with mismatched plates and chairs give the restaurant an eclectic character. Up front, a 100-year-old dresser that Memaga and Proctor purchased during a moving sale in Richmond serves as the host stand.
Although the two are new to the area, they don’t want to be thought of as out-of-towners simply hoping to add to the bustling restaurant scene. They describe themselves as anti-corporate and pro-local and say this venture has been a vision for years, particularly after starting a family.
“I love Brooklyn, but there’s a little bit of that attitude that’s missing here, and that I’m happy about,” says Proctor. “I’m excited; even the employees we’ve gotten so far are so eager to learn and talk to us about wines, and it’s nice.”
The cuisine is influenced by trips abroad to small Italian villages, with restaurants serving simple, unfussy dishes where the ingredients speak for themselves. They describe their offerings as mostly Northern Italian comfort food that fluctuates seasonally, with all pastas and sauces made in house.
“We were blown away by simple dishes [during our travels], and that’s what we try to do here, one or two main ingredients,” explains Memaga.
The menu features antipasti such as prosciutto di Parma and veal meatballs, a dedicated bruschetta section, a fennel and citrus salad, and black kale panzanella. Pastas — with optional helpings of fresh ricotta di pecora, a sheep’s milk ricotta — include penne pomodoro, tagliatelle Bolognese and mezzi rigatoni ragu. When asked if they have a signature dish, without hesitation they both respond, “Spaghetti al limon.”
“It takes you by surprise when you order it,” Memaga says.
For entrees diners will find grilled polenta, roasted chicken, and grilled salmon served with a seasonal relish and arugula.
The kitchen is helmed by Executive Chef Damaso Gaspar, who also relocated to the area to open Gersi.
Gersi is currently open Monday through Friday from 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday. Lunch service will begin in the next two weeks.
