As David Fhima and his son Eli put the final touches on their new Sicilian restaurant in downtown Excelsior, they’re dishing on the details.
The restaurant, projected to open in mid- to late July, will be called Vagabondo, a reference to Fhima’s childhood nickname, given to him by his Sicilian grandmother.
“It’s Italian for ‘vagabond.’ My great-grandmother, my dad’s grandmother, Sultana, was Sicilian and one of my dad’s earliest memories is that she would pull on one of his ears and call him ‘Vagabondo’ after he came home dirty from playing on the streets,” Eli explained.
“My dad jokes that one of his ears is longer because of that. We’re really channeling that fun, playful spirit of Sultana, her dishes and our family’s Sicilian roots.”
Chef David Fhima was born in Morocco with one side of his family French, Spanish and Moroccan and the other side Sicilian-Italian. He currently runs the French-Moroccan Fhima’s and the French bistro Maison Margaux, both in Minneapolis, and has operated other Mediterranean eateries in the past. He said Vagabondo rounds out the type of cuisine he’s always wanted to serve.
“We’re coming full circle in doing the foods that I grew up with,” said David Fhima.
The menu will feature everything from sandwiches to seafood, as well as handmade pizzas, pastas and gelatos, made in a glass-walled room so those walking past can catch the action of dough being tossed, pasta being rolled and gelato being churned. Pizza will come in two varieties: Neapolitan-style, cooked in a wood-fired oven, and deeper dish Sicilian-style, made in cast-iron pans. Margherita, Sicilian sausage and other classic toppings, as well as build-your-own, will be offered.
“What they will have in common is our sourdough crust that’s going to be made with our 130-year-old starter dough from my other grandmother, my Moroccan grandma,” Fhima said.