All In The Family

(Saturday, April 01, 2006) - It's raining ravioli and so much more at the
new Fratelli Ravioli Shop and Café in Carroll Gardens, which opened on Jan. 5.

The latest addition to the Fratelli Ravioli franchise offers an array of soups,
sandwiches and baked goods as well as Italian specialties such as fresh
mozzarella, focaccia and "Grandma's soup" - a lentil-based soup with broccoli
rabe and little meatballs. On top of the café treats, the shop sells Fratelli's 15
kinds of homemade ravioli and eight varieties of linguine, fettuccine and angel
hair pasta. Currently, this is an indoor shop and café, but once the weather
warms up, a 20-seat outdoor eating area will be added.

"It's the perfect spot for someone to pop in for lunch," says Fratelli spokesman
John Rarick.

In 1978, Ray Vivola opened Fratelli Ravioli, a traditional Italian, homemade pasta
shop at this very location. In 2001, his two sons, Larry and Christian opened a
pasta factory in Red Hook to facilitate the production and demand of Fratelli's
made-fresh-daily goods.

"[Fratelli Ravioli] is all about using the freshest and best ingredients you can find
to create traditional Italian food," Rarick said.

As part of an ongoing vision, the Vivolas decided to convert the Carroll Gardens
shop into a retail store and café akin to the three others they had previously
opened in Connecticut and New Jersey. They had the product; all they needed
was an owner.

Enter Ysabel Suarez. At 16, Suarez began working for Ray Vivola during the
summer and never left. Today, 12 years later, she and her brother, Carlos
(pictured at left), own and operate the Carroll Gardens franchise. Two more
franchises are scheduled to open soon in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Says Rarick, "When you walk into Fratelli Ravioli Shop and Café, you become part
of the family."

Fratelli Ravioli Shop and Café, 347 Court St. at Union Street in Carroll Gardens,
accepts American Express, MasterCard and Visa. Soups: $4; sandwiches:
$6-$8.50; salads: $6-$7.50. Open daily to 10 pm. For more information, call (718)
625-7952.

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