A couple of weeks ago, a successful shopping trip turned into something even better when I encountered Gabriele Ruggieri and his handsome son, Lorenzo. The moment resulted in an invitation.
Ruggieri, owner of downtown restaurants Speck Pizza and Street Food and Pasta + Sauce, said the magic words: Sfilatino. Nutella doughnuts. Latte.
I didn’t know what sfilatino was, but I was excited to find out.
As I waited to visit the Speck tent at the Cape Riverfront Market the following Saturday, I researched Ruggieri. What I found was inspiring.
Earlier this year, Ruggieri was presented with Old Town Cape’s 2025 Resiliency Award. I was moved by words he shared about the experience in an interview uploaded to YouTube.
Some of Ruggieri’s fondest memories revolve around the time he spent enjoying various street foods with his father back in Italy. One of his father’s dreams was to leave his job as a postal worker and open a restaurant in Sicily. Unfortunately, he was never able to achieve that dream, passing away from cancer when Ruggieri was only 18 years old. In the interview, Ruggieri touched on his philosophy for success, which includes embracing failures as a natural consequence of chasing your dreams. As I listened to his words, thought about his father’s dreams and reflected on the mutual affection shared between Ruggieri and his son, Lorenzo, I couldn’t help but think that his father’s dreams have come to fruition after all.
With Father’s Day just around the corner, I wondered if showing children how to dream big and hold on to hope amidst days filled with the ordinary business of life is the greatest gift a father can instill in a son. The way Lorenzo glowed with admiration while looking up at his father would certainly say so.
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