Italian Deli, Market Can't Weather Move To Danvers

DANVERS, MA -- GiGi's Gourmet Italian Deli and Market on Newbury Street closed Tuesday and "will not be reopening in the near future," according to a message posted on its Facebook page. The market had opened in March and was the brainchild of the chef and staff of an upscale Italian restaurant on the island of St. John in the Virgin Islands that was destroyed by hurricanes last September.

Michael Fortino was the chef at ZoZo's, a top rated restaurant at the Caneel Bay Resort. But last September, after nearly 20 years in business, ZoZo's was destroyed when back-t0back, category 5 hurricanes hit St. John's. Fortino headed to Danvers to help a friend open GiGi's before returning to the Virgin Islands. GiGi's offered artisanal sandwiches, house-made pastas and prepared foods.

Note: An earlier version of this article implied Fortino was an owner of the restaurant and still working there when it closed.

Subscribe to Danvers Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.

Photo by GiGi's Gourmet Italian Deli and Market.

Dave Copeland can be reached at [email protected] or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).