Spring 2024 At Home in Edmond

Vignolas Italian Kitchen

PHOTOS PROVIDED All of the pasta is handmade daily at Vignolas Italian Kitchen, now open in downtown Edmond’s Railyard.

By Rose Drebes

Ashley and Giovanni Vignola wanted to preserve his family’s recipes and input Italian culture into the community.

They did so by establishing a cozy restaurant in Edmond’s Railyard. Vignolas opened on Dec. 4, 2023 and the establishment has been flourishing ever since.

The couple met on the east coast. Giovanni’s family is from Italy and he went to culinary school there. They all moved to Rockville, Md., just outside of Washington, D. C.

Giovanni’s family built a small, intimate restaurant there. After Ashley and Giovanni were asked to restart the restaurant, they started providing lunches to numerous private schools.

When COVID hit, they realized they could go anywhere and do anything. They decided to come to Oklahoma where Ashley had family.

“We both loved Oklahoma and wanted to move here,” Ashley said. “COVID gave us that ability.”

And now, they are building a community at the Railyard. It is quickly becoming a place where “everyone knows your name.”

“We want to have a little neighborhood spot where we can get to know people,” Ashley said.

While Giovanni is the chef, Ashley is busy greeting the customers – many of whom are already regulars and whom the couple knows by name.

All of the pasta and mozzarella are made fresh daily. The menu boasts such delectable dishes as caprese and Caesar salads to

soups and traditional pasta dishes as lasagna and spaghetti and meatballs and pappardelle Bolognese.

And, for dessert Vignolas serves tiramisu and cannoli. Vinolas also offers catering.

While these are family recipes, Ashley said there are no secrets. Actually, the dishes are really quite simple.

“The recipes are his mom’s, his aunt’s and his grandmother’s,” she said. “We felt like if we don’t do this, our recipes will go away.”

Ashley said downtown Edmond businesses support each other.

“There is no competition,” Ashley said. “Oklahomans in general are so nice.”

Ashley and Giovanni hope to establish a commercial kitchen so they can expand their business even more.

Vignola’s is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more on the menu, visit vignolaskitchen.com.