The year was 1998. Two years before Xcel Energy Center opened, an Italian restaurant hung up an awning near the St. Paul Hotel, and hoped it would last a couple years. Now, Pazzaluna is an icon of the downtown St. Paul dining scene. “It was a risk, leaving my job at the hotel to come here,” said Patti Summers, a St. Paul native who started her restaurant career as a server at a Bridgeman’s. Summers was successful as a server at the St. Paul Grille, and she loved her hometown.

“I did grow up in St. Paul, this is very much like my home,” said Summers. She and five other employees were there on Pazzaluna’s very first day in 1998, and they’re still getting it done today. Every night, people pour into Pazzaluna before they head off to a Wild game at the X, or a chamber orchestra concert at the Ordway, quick and special service has helped Pazzaluna continue to thrive.