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Kristina’s Kitchen is in a new location on Main St., Pittston
Photos by Matthew Hannon
Joanne Quaglia busy in the kitchen … Kristina’s Kitchen
Food plays a prominent role in Italian culture. Whether it’s a small snack or a huge meal with 40 people, food is always the center of attention.
The food is meant to warm and comfort, and most families make sure you have more than enough to eat.
So when Joanne and Vito Quaglia started Kristina’s Kitchen on Main Street last year, they wanted to keep to their heritage, creating food and an atmosphere as comfy and homey as possible.
“We wanted to create this real laid back place for people,” said Vito, “something with a great homey feel to it.”
The Quaglias bought Kristina’s from a previous owner who had the business for eight years and decided to keep the restaurant similar to the way the previous owner had left it, including the name.
“Keeping the name was a simple idea,” explained Joanne. “It was just an easier transition for our customers.”
Kristina’s soon grew too large to stay in its former building, so the Quaglias decided to move the restaurant further up Main Street to a larger building over Labor Day weekend.
The new site for Kristina’s, which is roughly three times the size of its original building, can now seat between 35 and 40 people.
The new location has given Kristina’s a great opportunity. With the previous location catering more to take-outs then dine in customers due to its size, the new larger restaurant is seeing more and more people come in to enjoy lunch or dinner.
“Our lunch business has really doubled since our move,” said Vito. “We get a lot of walk-in customers and people from the other local businesses coming in to grab a bite.”
Though both Joanne and Vito co-own Kristina’s, most of the day-to-day operations fall to Joanne.
“She’s really the brains of the business here,” laughs Vito. “She does a lot of the cooking, prep work and she’s the one with the ideas. I’m just pretty much the face to put out there.”
Vito explained that Joanne had been cooking since she was younger, learning everything from her grandmother, some of which has become regular items on the menu, like homemade soups.
“People just love our homemade soups,” said Vito. “Pizza will always be our number one, but we sell a lot of soup.”
Vito also said that even in the heat of the summer, many people were calling Kristina’s asking what the daily soup was.
Aside from the food, Kristina’s also prides itself on their atmosphere inside the restaurant. Both Vito and Joanne have spent money and time gathering little pieces of Pittston to hang around the shop.
One such piece, a metal ice cream container from Grablick’s, Vito found on Ebay.
“I saw that piece and I had to get it,” Vito said. “A lot of people will come in, see the tin and go ‘Oh I remember Grablick’s’ and start a conversation about it. That’s what I’m looking for.”
Vito and Joanne both feel the move up the street will only help their business grow.
With more size, Kristina’s is hoping to attract more people to come in and grab a bite to eat.
“This new location is great for us,” Vito said.
“There is more social interaction here and you can just kick back, take a look outside and watch things happen.”