Rigazzi's New Owners Vow to Protect the Hill's Oldest Operating Restaurant

For the first time ever, a member of the Aiazzi family does not own Rigazzi's

Oct 24, 2023 at 6:00 am

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Rigazzi's has served Italian-American classics on The Hill since 1957.

A St. Louis landmark is under new ownership.

Joan Aiazzi, owner and operator of Rigazzi's, is handing the keys to the Italian mainstay to a new pair of local owners.

Corey Christanell and business partner Donn Ganim have purchased the restaurant, which lays claim to being the oldest operating restaurant on the Hill. In a release on Monday, the new owners promised to maintain the charm that's bolstered Rigazzi's throughout its decades of serving St. Louis, all while adapting to meet an evolving neighborhood.

"As someone who grew up in south St. Louis and still has deep ties to the community on the Hill, I felt it was important that Rigazzi's would remain a part of St. Louis for the next generation and beyond," Christanell said. "We will honor the rich history of Rigazzi's while evolving to meet the exciting new growth and energy taking place on the Hill."

Though Rigazzi's is the first restaurant he's owned, this is not Christanell's first foray into the industry. Christanell grew up working at Mama Toscano's Ravioli, a former Hill institution that was owned and operated by his grandparents. More recently, Christanell has spent more than 20 years serving in a variety of roles, including senior advisor to the CEO.

Ganim, according to the release, owns several franchise salons, in addition to the former Jeremiah's Restaurant and Lounge in Cape Girardeau.

COURTESY OF RIGAZZI'S

Donn Ganim, left, and Corey Christanell.

Rigazzi's has filled customers' bellies with baked mostaccioli and its signature Parmiciano in the northeast corner of the Hill since 1957. Partners Lou Aiazzi and John Riganti opened the restaurant under a portmanteau that represented both of their names.

Aiazzi and his wife, Josie Aiazzi, took up ownership a few years later. They eventually passed the torch onto their son, Mark, who ran the restaurant with his wife, Joan, until his death in 2013.

Rigazzi's traditions have stayed the same from owner to owner — the classic white-and-red-checkered tablecloths, the "frozen fishbowl" (a giant frozen goblet that holds any drink of choice). Luckily, it doesn't seem like any of the things that made Rigazzi's a St. Louis mainstay will go away any time soon.

“I wasn’t going to sell Rigazzi’s to just anyone – it had to be in safe hands, and that’s who I found in Corey and Donn,” Joan Aiazzi said in a prepared statement. “It was important for me to ensure the next owner of Rigazzi’s was someone with deep ties to the Hill. They grew up coming here, and they understand what Rigazzi’s means to our guests and our community. I can rest easy knowing they will keep the traditions we created on our little corner of The Hill alive and well, and I can’t wait to come back and enjoy a glass of wine on the guest side of the bar!”