The Chapel Grille, a popular Italian restaurant and site for special occasions for more than a decade, will close shortly and reopen under new management and with a new identity, the Carpionato Group …
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The Chapel Grille, a popular Italian restaurant and site for special occasions for more than a decade, will close shortly and reopen under new management and with a new identity, the Carpionato Group announced last week.
The company, which owns the restaurant and surrounding retail development in Cranston, said that the Chapel Grille will “transition to the Circe Group which will re-envision the venue as Circe Prime – an Italian steakhouse and banquet facility.”
It will be operated by well-known Rhode Island restauranteurs Carlo Carlozzi and Kyle Poland, who have well-established restaurants in Providence and East Greenwich, the press release stated.
Chapel Grille, which opened around 2012, was known not only as an upscale restaurant in the city, but also for its reincarnation of a dramatic, 19th-century, hilltop stone chapel that had once been part of the state’s former training school compound for boys. The property was redeveloped as a retail and “lifestyle” center by prominent Rhode Island developer Alfred Carpionato and the restaurant was often viewed as one of the crown jewels in the development. Carpionato died in 2018 at the age of 75.
"All things must eventually give way to change, and with that change comes new opportunity,” Sheryl Carpionato, trustee of the Carpionato Group said in the press release. “Now, it is time to honor the past while reimagining this beautifully restored historic building for the future.”
“In selecting Circe, we were focused on making sure the next operator was well established and successful in the Rhode Island market and would appreciate and align their vision to the beauty of this space,” she said. “We believe Carlo and Kyle are the perfect stewards for this gem in our portfolio and will create a new legacy that remains true to my late husband’s vision.”
Chapel Grille will remain open to the public this month under the direction of the Circe Group and will operate during February and March for private events that have already been booked. It will undergo “cosmetic enhancements” and re-open as Circe Prime in April.
“We are thankful for the opportunity the Carpionato Group has given us and for their belief in our brand,” Poland said in the prepared statement. “We are excited to blend our style of hospitality with the amazing venue the Carpionato Group has created,” Carlozzi said. “Our goal is to provide a memorable dining experience where our guests can not only enjoy a high-level cuisine but enjoy a fun an exciting atmosphere as well.”
The former State Training School operated from the 1880s until it was closed and abandoned in the 1960’s. It remained vacation for years until Carpionato acquired the site and spent years transforming it into a retail center.
The restaurant, which retains some of the chapel’s stained glass windows, also features about 14,000 square feet of dining space, an outdoor patio, two bars and a panoramic view of the metropolitan Providence skyline.
“We have several other exciting new restaurants on the horizon here,” he said. “And Circe’s Prime Italian steakhouse will be an amazing addition that will draw patrons from across Rhode Island.”
All Chapel Grille gift cards will be honored through 2025 beginning when Circe Prime opens.
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