Authentic Italian cuisine featured at new east-end bistro

By Loren Mastracci

When Ivana Perfetto tells people she just moved to Windsor from Rome, she says the reaction is always
the same: astonishment.

The 55-year-old Windsor native returned to her hometown with her family to fulfill her dream of a
lifetime – opening an Italian bistro.

“My husband Giampiero does all the cooking. I’m more of a people person,” says Perfetto, adding that
along with her husband, she has been painstakingly sourcing Italian products. “If we don’t cook it at
home, we won’t serve it to our customers.”

The Perfettos’ move was spurred by a deep concern for their son who has a developmental
disability. Italy’s stagnant economy and a cut to social services threatened their son’s well-being and
their hope for his future.

“It took years of careful planning, but we managed to reinvent ourselves,” says Perfetto.
A couple months prior to moving, Perfetto stumbled upon a bistro carrying her surname and she took it
as an encouraging sign.

The bistro features family recipes passed down from generation to generation. The venue’s furniture
came from Italy in a container, along with the family’s belongings.

Perfetto Bistro, located at 4783 Wyandotte St. E., is set to open by the end of this year.