Nick’s Italian Café 2.0

The iconic downtown McMinnville restaurant is back in business

By Estelle Rogers

A new era begins for Nick’s Italian Café on McMinnville’s Third Street. After an impressive 46-year run by Nick Peirano, the last 17 under daughter Carmen’s direction, the establishment sold to locals Scott Baldwin, Thomas Ghinazzi and Jordan Neale, owners of the recently closed Earth & Sea Restaurant in Carlton.

The three weren’t seeking another restaurant venture, but when Ghinazzi realized the opportunity to carry on the iconic Nick’s legacy, he wanted to continue the story. With a personal connection, he felt it was the obvious decision.

In 2014, shortly after moving to Oregon, Ghinazzi’s parents brought Nick’s takeout to the hospital after the birth of their daughter. It was also the first place he and his wife dined after getting married. And, when his father-in-law was pronounced cancer-free, their celebratory dinner took place at Nick’s.

The restaurant has hosted countless celebrations. Many local residents have their own stories about the restaurant. Before focusing on the restaurant’s future, it’s important to first remember what it once was.

McMinnville resident Els Sandberg said, “We started regularly dining at Nick’s in 1978. Both times, when I was nine months pregnant, we had dinner there… and I delivered within hours of finishing my meal. Personally, I thought it would have made a great advertisement. Have dinner at Nick’s and increase your chances of delivering a baby within hours. Nick, in his suspenders and amazing meals, will be forever etched in my heart. Thank you, Nick and staff, for the years of personal celebrations, joy and meals.”

Shelly Sanderlin, also from McMinnville, said, “My mom treated me to a fancy meal at Nick’s on my 21st birthday in 1982. She told the waitress to card me! I am deeply touched how she made a momentous occasion so memorable by taking me to the best “fancy” restaurant in town. It was the first of many meals at Nick’s over the years. I last dined there with a good friend in the summer of 2023, more than 40 years after my first visit.”

“We are McMinnville High School graduates, Class of 1986, and have enjoyed many events at Nick’s, even celebrating our 50th birthdays there in 2018. Nick’s has always been our go-to spot,” said Anthony Bosshardt.

I, too, feel a deep affinity for Nick’s Italian Café. I was in my twenties and hired as a waiter in 1999, learning much over the next seven years. I discovered great art doesn’t only hang on walls. As I watched a chef take one last slow, careful swipe around the rim of a freshly plated dish before it was presented to the customer, it changed me. I saw beauty in these moments; I saw masterpieces. The rhythmic sound of the dining room silverware, mingled with laughter and buzzing conversation, became music to my ears. A soothing warmth for the soul can be felt in the symphony of a restaurant in full crescendo.

At Nick’s, I developed a deep appreciation for wine and gained firsthand knowledge of the surrounding burgeoning industry as I served and mingled with Oregon’s greats: Dick Erath, David Lett, and, oh, so many others. I often tell people my palate grew up on Pinot Noir; truthfully, it is because I worked at Nick’s Italian Café. I learned how to make bechamel, and eventually, was lucky enough to stand alongside Nick himself, making pasta and assembling his popular Dungeness crab lasagna.

Since those years, I have become a frequent patron and found any reason to have every possible celebration, birthday, and you-name-it, at Nick’s. In 2020, I worked for Carmen in supporting roles with the wine list and social media. When the restaurant quietly closed in the summer of 2023, I cried.

When Thomas Ghizzani, Scott Baldwin and Jordan Neale reopened Nick’s, one of only two James Beard Classics restaurants in Oregon, they hugged us all.
Nick and Carmen were changemakers in the fabric of McMinnville and Oregon’s wine country. They shared their four-generation recipes with us, hosted Habitat for Humanity fundraisers over the years that built nearly fifty homes, curated jazz nights and the most acclaimed pool table in town.

What does the future hold?

Given Thomas Ghizzani’s three generations of Italian heritage, his Michelin-starred Croft on Wells Chicago experience, and tenure at Earth & Sea, Nick’s Italian Café’s future promises excellence. “We had to keep Nick’s up and running— nobody wanted to see it disappear. It’s still Nick’s, with our spin.”

The Back Room has reopened as Refire Bar, with a limited menu featuring Cacio e Pepe and a Smash Burger. If an exciting sporting game is live, you might find it on the bar’s television. The front dining room is open for lunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with dinner service every evening. Fresh favorites join house-made pasta, pizza, and other Italian dishes as a new chapter welcomes more celebrations and family dinners.

Many of Nick’s artifacts, photos and timeless mementos have been donated to the Yamhill Valley Heritage Center in McMinnville. The display, opening later this year, will include retired kitchen machinery, personal pictures, articles and the framed 2008 Saveur Magazine article.

Will you find Nick in the restaurant? Yes, he and his suspenders often frequent the newly-branded Refire Bar.

I am grateful for Nick and Carmen, and the entire Pierano family who helped open those doors at 521 N.E. Third Street. You gave our community a great gift. Thank you, Thomas Ghinazzi, Scott Baldwin and Jordan Neale, for continuing the story.

Estelle Rogers is a freelance travel writer based in McMinnville. She enjoys Pinot Noir, small towns and slow travel. An avid European traveler—carry-on luggage only—and a professional cat sitter, Estelle enjoys finding stories around every corner. She is a member of the International Food, Wine and Travel Association.