Just about five years after debuting Grano Arso in Chester, Joel and Lani Gargano are introducing a new concept to Old Saybrook: a market and cafe with freshly made pastas, baked goods and specialty Italian products. Gargano Pasta & Italian Market officially opened Thursday on Old Saybrook's Main Street, a project that's been in the works for about three years, Lani Gargano said.

She described the new business as a "chef-driven" extension of their celebrated Chester restaurant, known for its creative housemade pastas and traditional Italian cooking (and named Restaurant of the Year by the Connecticut Restaurant Association in 2019.) "It's an evolution of Grano Arso, I believe...it's a different concept, but you can see the connection between [the two businesses]," she said.