Downtown's Fausto restaurant to close: 'We love you, Cincinnati'

Tony Ferrari, left, and his brother Austin operate Fausto in the lobby of the CAC in downtown Cincinnati. The restaurant is named after their father and great-uncle, who shared the Italian name. Fausto announced Monday that it is closing.
Tony Ferrari, left, and his brother Austin operate Fausto in the lobby of the CAC in downtown Cincinnati. The restaurant is named after their father and great-uncle, who shared the Italian name. Fausto announced Monday that it is closing.

Fausto, a California-style restaurant in the Contemporary Arts Center, is closing.

A newsletter announced the closure Monday morning. The restaurant's last day of service will be Dec. 22, and will include a farewell dinner party to say thank you to its Downtown patrons. It will be open 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday until its closure.

"In the end, we can say we made it three very beautiful, and crazy years. We hope you all also remember Fausto for what it served, for its ethos, and why it was here to begin with. We love you, Cincinnati, and we love all of you that have supported us. We know who you are, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts," owners Tony and Austin Ferrari and head chef Phil Gentry wrote in the newsletter.

Tony and Austin's other establishments, Mom 'n 'em Coffee & Wine, located in Camp Washington and Madisonville, will remain open.

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The newsletter cited the COVID-19 pandemic as a reason for the restaurant's closing. It also mentioned staffing difficulties, lack of design control over the restaurant, an inability to reopen dinner service and a refusal to "dumb" down the menu.

The Fausto team said it was unwilling to sacrifice its mission of providing food made with fresh, local and seasonal ingredients through its work with local farmers and ranchers.

"We are not willing to sacrifice why we were here in the first place, we are not going to serve commodity products, we are not going to start selling hamburgers and fries, tacos and beyond. We will only cook and provide what we originated to do, and if that does not work, and if people do not understand that, then so be it," the newsletter reads.

Fausto's head chef Phil Gentry. Fausto announced it is closing in a newsletter on Monday.
Fausto's head chef Phil Gentry. Fausto announced it is closing in a newsletter on Monday.

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The restaurant's renowned elevated fare will still be available for event catering through Mom 'n 'em Coffee & Wine.

Fausto was the third establishment to occupy the Contemporary Arts Center's lobby.

“We’re sad to see them go,” Marcus Margerum, the Contemporary Arts Center's chief deputy director and interim executive director, said in a statement. “But this space has a long history of providing a platform for new ventures and supporting them until they start another chapter. We’re glad the Ferrari bros will remain a Cincinnati brand and plan to keep them in our family. At the same time, we’re optimistic about discovering what’s next for this space.”

Reservations for the farewell dinner party can be made through Fausto's website.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Fausto restaurant at Contemporary Arts Center is closing