Piazza hosts book signing Tuesday

Another milestone between the Lopiccolo and Abowd families will be marked when Carson Piazza Bar hosts a booksigning with Chef Charlie Abowd, Tuesday, May 16 from 3:30 p.m. until "whenever."

Intertwined nearly 40 years, this relationship began in 1985 when Mark Lopiccolo was hired to build Paul and Adele Abowd's house and went on to oversee expansions at the restaurant once it was bought by Charlie and his wife, Karen, from Charlie's parents.

"I'd go by the house, and Adele would make me breakfast, and we'd have great visits," Mark said. "She was my favorite."

What began as the role of "family contractor" became simply and inextricably, "family."

When Karen decided the community needed to do a better job providing for those experiencing food insecurity, Mark led construction of The Greenhouse Project, the ag education facility on the Carson High School campus where food is grown. Besides donating invaluable time, material and expertise to creating the state-of-the-art greenhouse, Mark also served on TGP's board as vice president for eight years and on the action group after that. The Lopiccolo family still supports TGP with their ongoing generosity.

Since Café at Adele's closure after a fire in March 2019, the talk about town was where Nevada legislators would eventually land, given the iconic restaurant known as the place where much of the Silver State's legislation was discussed and decided, was no more.

Enter Piazza.

Mark and his wife, Jenny, who already owned the buildings and "needed to do something with them," decided to bring a taste of Mark's ancestral home in Sicily to Carson City.

"We were in Sicily seated on the plaza and eating, and we thought, "we can do this!," Mark, who is just as passionate about having his hands in cooking as he is having them in wood, said. "That's how the idea for Piazza began."

The pandemic allowed time to revamp the space that had once been Bella Fiore. And remember the beautiful stained glass and leaded glass windows that once graced Café at Adele's? All but one had been designed and made for Adele's by Mark's father, Mel. Prior to the post-fire demolition, the windows were removed and now hang at Piazza.

"We wanted to create that same feeling when you walked into Café at Adele's, of coming home - to design a space where locals and legislators alike would feel welcomed and at ease.

Charlie came in and worked closely with staff to create the unique menu of small plates, beautiful sourdough bread and flat bread pizzas. It is rumored the starter, brought by Mark from Italy is 200 years old, but Mark errs on the side of it being "only" 100 years.

All the threads intertwined have created a tapestry of love woven over time.

"Charlie is like the brother I never had," Mark said. "He likes making stuff, and I like making stuff, and together we've made some great stuff."

Once production costs are covered, all proceeds from the sale of "Recipes and Rambles That Made Adele's a Nevada Hot Spot," will go toward TGP's sustainability.

Carson Piazza Bar is located at 224 S. Carson St., #8, Carson City. 775-301-6708.