Popular Rocky Hill Italian Market Changes Ownership

ROCKY HILL, CT — Essex chef Ani Robaina has taken over DiFiore Ravioli Shop, a family-owned and operated Italian market in Rocky Hill. The market at 397 Cromwell Ave. has been in business for more than 40 years and is known for its homemade ravioli.

The DiFiore family released the following statement: “We started looking for that right someone to take over the Rocky Hill store who would put their own specialty food business in place and continue to sell our DiFiore Ravioli Shop products. Chef Ani has already cemented her reputation as a world-class caterer across the state of Connecticut. Ani’s Table & Marketplace will be transitioning our well-known and loved space to her own.”

DiFiore Ravioli Shop also has a location in Ellington. In a Facebook post earlier this month, the shop said that it had "outgrown the ravioli/pasta production capability of our Rocky Hill store."

"Being that Ellington has been our home for 34 years, we've decided to open a dedicated ravioli/pasta production space close to home, right down the road from the Ellington store and our home," the post reads.

The new Rocky Hill shop will open in July and be called Ani's Table & Marketplace.

The market will be "filled with Chef Ani’s scratch-prepared foods including a variety of sauces, seasonal soups and salads, Chef Ani’s signature international fare, locally sourced produce, and artisan products such as DiFiore Ravioli," according to a statement.

There will also be a new coffee and espresso bar featuring Chef Ani’s coffee blends and fresh bakery items.

“We are thrilled to begin this next chapter of Ani’s Table and create a Marketplace that provides food that comforts you and perhaps makes your life a little easier," Robaina said in a statement. “Thank you to the DiFiore Family for trusting us to create a fresh new culinary concept in this location that their family and their customers hold so dear. We can’t wait to show you what we have cookin’ for Ani’s Table & Marketplace.”

For more, go to Ani's Table's website.