The Village of Suffern recently announced the formation of a new Downtown Committee that will be tasked with helping to shape a revitalization effort that attracts more people to the village center.
Marcello’s Ristorante in Suffern takes over the Lafayette Theater Sunday for two pre-Valentine concert. Tickets are $30.
One business owner in particular enthusiastically endorsed Mayor Trish Abato’s plan, even inviting the committee to hold its first meeting at his restaurant, with lunch on the house. Marcello Russodivito, owner and chef extraordindaire of Marcello’s Ristorante, has been off working on his own as a one-man economic whirlwind. His popular Italian eatery in Suffern already serves as a lively center of dining and nightlife along Lafayette Street. Whether it’s a quite birthday dinner celebration, wine tasting with friends, cooking class, or jazzy evening at the restaurant’s piano bar, Marcello’s is a hive of activity.
This coming Sunday, Russodivito has invested time and resources into organizing a grand pre-Valentine day of concerts at the Lafayette Theater in Suffern that is part wine tasting, part concert with a dinner afterwards at Marcello’s, and a dash of community fundraiser. The concerts will feature Giada Valenti at the 2:30 p.m. show and an array of singers for the 6:30 p.m. show, with Valenti stepping back into the spotlight for the finale. Either show costs $30 per person, with $10 from each ticket sold going to one of three groups: Autism Speaks, a non-profit autism advocacy organization; People to People, an educational ambassador program for students and professionals; or, Marian Salesians Shriners St. John Boscos.
The Lafayette Theater is an historical single-screen movie house landmark in Suffern, NY that features first-run movies.
The full day of Marcello Ristorante programming begins Sunday, February 9, at noon with a $30 per person wine tasting at the restaurant, complete with Italian antipasto salad. $5 dollars from each wine tasting ticket will go to Autism Speaks.
Marcello’s Ristorante has reserved three separate dinner seatings for concert goers at $65 per person that features a special five course dinner. Dinner seatings are scheduled for 2:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. (this time slot is sold out) and 8:15 p.m.
Marcello’s Ristorante in Suffern, NY / Rockland411.com
With the addition of an upgraded sound system, Russodivito believes the Lafayette can act as a unifying attraction that could drive business through the entire Suffern downtown area. Russodivito spoke enthusiastically about Sunday’s concert acting as a blueprint for future pre or post Lafayette movie events that then tie into village center dining and shopping opportunities.
Marcello’s is doing that very thing right now. The restaurant is cross-promoting a movie night with the Lafayette by offering two movie tickets that get diners $20 off of a dinner at Marcello’s (with a minimum purchase of $80). The coupon expires one week after the ticket date.
And that’s where the new Downtown Committee and Suffern Chamber come in — Russodivito said that if enough incentives are offered and awareness created, the Suffern downtown can become an attractive option for Lafayette Theater audiences — and beyond.
Restaurants and businesses should work together, Russodivito said, to create a viable dining and entertainment loop that attracts shoppers, with the Lafayette as a magnet.
Right now, Marcello, as he’s popularly known, is stirring any number of pots, working in his own way to partner with the the historic theater to create interesting programming that draws people to Suffern and, hopefully, leads them through the doors of Marcello’s Ristorante.
