Massimo Tullio Opens Neapolitan Inspired Massi Co. in Westport

Photos by Jenae Weinbrenner + Andrew Dominick

The space at 90 Post Road E in Westport has played host to three different restaurant concepts over the past eight years; Jesup Hall (farm-to-table American), then Don Memo (Mexican), and now, Massi Co., a Napolitano style restaurant.

At the helm is a familiar face, co-owner of those previous two restaurants, and The Whelk, Massimo Tullio. The switch to Italian came about earlier in the year when Tullio, and his then partner, Bill Taibe, announced they would be going their separate ways with Taibe taking over both Kawa Ni locations in Westport and in Denver, while Tullio would continue operating The Whelk and Don Memo.

While the restaurant’s bones still look familiar, the bar’s tequila stock is replaced by Italian spirits, amari, and small batch liqueurs, and Tullio’s family photos are on display throughout the restaurant.

After five years of tacos, tequila, and vibrant Mexican dishes, Tullio announced that Don Memo’s last day of service would be on August 16, 2025, all the while, teasing his namesake Italian restaurant that would take Don Memo’s place.

And Italian, specifically, Neapolitan, is something he’s always wanted to do.

“It’s about where we come from,” Tullio explains. “My parents and my older brother were born in Naples, Italy, and they lived 35 minutes outside of Naples. I was born here (in the states), but my mom was pregnant with me when they moved here from Italy. This restaurant is our heritage. I’ve always wanted to do this, even back when I had Fat Cat (Pie Co.) in Norwalk all those years ago. Everything comes back to my roots. It’s about hospitality, it’s bringing people together, it’s about community, and yes, it’s about the food and the simplicity of it.”

Panzanella salad - heirloom tomatoes, white balsamic, basil, torn baguette

Passed around to rave reviews at an early preview night was this crudo di tonno - smashed arancini, sorrento lemon creme, bottarga

At Massi Co., Tullio and head chef Zach Hinman—who worked Kawa Ni and held down the kitchen reins at both The Whelk and Don Memo before the shakeup and concept change—plan to keep their menu fresh; homemade bread, handmade pasta (yes, all of it is made in-house), salads using locally grown produce tossed with olive oil-based dressings, brick oven fired veggie sides, crudos—including one that’s a salty strip of bottarga draped atop smashed arancini—and three proteins that Tullio says “will always include a fish, a chicken, and one other protein,” that’s, as of press time, a dry aged T-bone with rosemary and truffle jus. Patrons should also expect a high usage of imported Italian ingredients in Massi Co.’s dishes.

Fitting into Tullio’s Napolitano theme is, of course, pizza. It’s something he’s passionate about and something he’s always wanted to get back to. He even went to Naples to get AVPN ( Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana) certified, learning traditional techniques and how to adhere to their strict rules for making true Neapolitan pizza.

You’ll see some familiar faces here, besides chef, if you frequented Don Memo and The Whelk. “Ingrid (Paronich), who helped me open The Whelk 14 years ago, who’s been at Le Bernardin, and everywhere, she’s helping with the wine program,” Tullio says. “And Nico (Rainey-Ray), my manager at The Whelk, who was at Alden & Harlow (in Cambridge, MA) and helped us open Kawa Ni in Denver is doing the bar. He understands what people want without going too crazy and being overly geeky with the program.”

Left - EVOO-Groni w/extra virgin olive oil washed gin, a vermouth blend, and NO CAMPARI, that’s swapped out for Bitteroma Rosso, a dry, citrusy, bitter, herbaceous aperitivo

Right - Cafe Moka w/tequila reposado, Crème de Moka, Licor 43, espresso, tonic

“Our pizza is double fermented (it helps with texture, digestion, and enhances flavor) for 48 hours, both times, and the dough is made with sourdough started,” Tullio says. “If we don’t use the dough for pizza—because we only have two days to use it once it’s ready—we use it to make our own bread, different shapes, different loaves, and we’ll eventually make focaccia. Our oven? It’s a Fiero Group gas oven inside and a wood oven outside. The wood one is the kind I learned on at the school in Naples.”

Anyone still upset that Don Memo is gone, though, can still find solace in Memo’s Spicy Marg that Tullio couldn’t remove completely, but the rest fits Massi Co.’s theme as the rest of the bar program is long list of Italian wines only, amari and grappa lists, and cocktails using Italian aperitifs, digestifs, liqueurs, and an early favorite in an extra virgin olive oil washed Negroni.

Even you still miss the tacos, Tullio may not. Massi Co. is for himself, to honor his family and his culture, and for his love of pizza.

90 Post Road E, Westport
203.557.6198, massicowestport.com