cuisine

Il Posto: A New Orleans Newbie

A young entrepreneur keeps the party going.
by Brenda Maitland
Madison Curry returned from New York City to New Orleans to open Il Posto, or “the place,” an Italian eatery on Dryades Street, in the mostly residential neighborhood that she also calls home.
Today in New Orleans, visitors and residents alike are exhilarated by the incredible resurgence in the town’s seemingly endless array of specialty dining and drinking themed emporiums and establishments.

The rewarding revival has been jump-started in part by enterprising young food and wine entrepreneurs who’ve returned to New Orleans to lend their talents and vision to the reaffirmation of key elements in the city’s engaging, enjoyable lifestyle.

Like many other young business owners, Madison Curry has created a recent addition that has quickly become an integral part of the city’s culinary culture.

Curry’s business, the captivating, casual Il Posto Café (“the place”), serves antipasti, soups and salads, paninis and other sandwiches, light breakfast and brunch items, wine and other beverages.

After New Orleans-native Curry spent twelve years in New York, she decided to come home post-Katrina, taking a job at The Savvy Gourmet as restaurant manager.

“I decided I wanted to open my own business and I’d always liked this neighborhood and had my eye on this little place,” she said of the building she’d scouted for her planned new endeavor. Curry’s mom—her silent partner in Il Posto, and step-dad, live just down the street and Curry lives in the neighborhood as well.

She chose an Italian theme for the café because she and her family have a long time love affair with the Italian culture. Curry, who’s been to Italy a number of times, said, “I just fell in love with it: the great wine, great food and great people who really enjoy life.”

Most of the kitchen equipment was purchased on eBay, she said. “Even the panini machine; you have to know how to bid,” she added. The refrigeration system was purchased new, and Curry found a great way to use the collection of baskets and other decorative items she’s been gathering for many years.

Nearly a year later, after many delays with permits and multiple trips to City Hall, she was finally able to open in late September 2007. “I just opened my doors one day, and people started coming in,” she said. “It was so fantastic.”

Curry had already initiated contact with her neighbors, going door-to-door to obtain signatures on a petition for the City Council stating that they were not opposed to the café opening in their primarily residential neighborhood. The liquor permit was not so easy; she was finally awarded the license six months after opening.

Once the café opened, it was like an underground swell, she noted. “People began emailing their friends in the neighborhood, and they all kept coming by with wonderfully welcoming messages and supportive activity. I kept wondering where all these people were coming from.”

Now, she has morning and lunchtime regulars, an after-work and Sunday brunch crowd, and then there’re the dog walkers. “We have several folks who come by nightly, tie their dogs up outside, come in for a glass of wine, then sit on the benches just outside the doors to enjoy their wine while their pets help themselves to the water in the big dog bowl.”

The cheery little café, with its vibrant-hued, fresh flowers, matches Curry’s sunny personality. “I’m really happy how it, turned out;” she said, “it’s pretty close to my vision, so I’m really pleased.”

As the rebirth and renaissance of the South’s major dining and entertainment center continues, New Orleans’ still attracts and inspires talented chefs and young entrepreneurs, like Curry, whose ideas and expertise bring a new vibe and verve to the scene along with new eateries, culinary attractions and intriguing places to taste, learn and shop.

The fresh ideas, spirit, energy and enthusiasm expressed by this new wave of business owners has set a fast track for recovery in the hospitality and culinary culture that is so much a part of the city’s heritage, as well as its future.

Details. details. Details.

Il Posto
4607 Dryades Street
New Orleans, La.
(504) 895-2620
www.ilpostocafe-nola.com
Tuesday—Friday, 7 am–9 pm. Saturday, 8 am–9 pm. Sunday,
8 am–3 pm. Most major cards.