By Anne Hayden
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
A dream come true: Art Nauman has wanted to open his own restaurant for over a decade, and he achieved his goal in November when he opened P’sghetti’s in the Park Guilderland Plaza on Route 146. The restaurant offers a take-out menu for pizza and a full dinner menu for patrons who want to eat in the family-friendly dining room.GUILDERLAND CENTER —
A new Guilderland Center restaurant got its name based on an argument and a joke.
Art Nauman, owner of the Italian-themed eatery called P’sghetti’s, said he was amiably arguing with a friend when he was filing the paperwork for his new restaurant, because he couldn’t think of a name. He was aiming for something that would reflect that it was a family-friendly eatery.
“My friend said, ‘I don’t care if you call the place P’sghetti’s, but you need a name!’” said Nauman. “I stopped and thought about it, then called a few people whose opinions I trusted, and they all liked it as a name.”
It is meant to approximate the way a young child might pronounce spaghetti.
The restaurant, located in Guilderland Center, is a take-out pizza parlor with a dining room for Italian-themed sit-down dinners.
“We actually have two different menus,” said Nauman. “The take-out menu has your typical pizza options, but we offer a full, family-friendly, Italian menu, with a Mediterranean twist.”
Nauman has a degree in hospitality and human services from Florida International University, and he owned Big Apple Deli and Catering in Carman Plaza from 2000 to 2006. From 2006 to 2012, he was a contract caterer, providing food services to commercial companies.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Pizza pie at P’sghetti’s: Art Nauman, owner and chef at P’sghetti’s restaurant in Guilderland Center, displays a pizza he made from scratch at his new Italian-style eatery. Nauman says he doesn’t like to use processed ingredients in his food.“I’ve been a chef forever,” he said.
He had originally wanted to open his Italian restaurant in Guilderland in 2000, but, when he and his wife discovered they were expecting a third child, he put his plans on hold.
Last year, as he was driving one of his older children to high school, he noticed that the spot he had been eyeing a decade ago was vacant again.
“I dropped my daughter off, then rushed home and asked my wife if she remembered the space I wanted for a restaurant,” said Nauman. “She rolled her eyes and told me to go for it.”
P’sghetti’s opened for take-out business on Nov. 1, 2012, and opened the dining room for dinner earlier this month.
“The take-out business has been good,” said Nauman. “January is traditionally a slow time for restaurants, so the dining room isn’t as busy as I would like, but we do get repeat customers.”
The customers value the fresh ingredients he uses, he said.
“Everything is made to order,” he said. “It might take a little bit longer, but it is worth it.”
Nothing is ever frozen, he said, and he makes all of his sauces from scratch.
“Too many things are processed these days,” said Nauman.
P’sghetti’s, at 457 Route 146 in Guilderland Center, in the Park Guilderland plaza, is open Monday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.