Huntington's Tutto Pazzo Reopens Under New Name After Controversy

HUNTINGTON, NY — Last June, Huntington restaurant Tutto Pazzo came under fire after owner Luigi Petrone made racist remarks on a Facebook live recording. Protesters piled watermelons in protest in front of the Italian restaurant in response to Petrone calling Black Lives Matters marchers "animals" and threatening to throw watermelons at them. But Luigi Petrone's brother and Tutto Pazzo co-owner, Joey Petrone, made a statement at the time disavowing the remarks and announcing he would be taking over the restaurant from his brother.

Now Joey Petrone has reopened the eatery, this time with a new look and feel, and hopefully, reputation. Now called Il Posto di Joey, the restaurant reopened in late August. The menu is similar to the previous one, with some modifications.

"We made a few tweaks to the menu, but couldn’t take away the tradition of my mother’s recipes such as our rice balls and eggplant meatballs," Joey Petrone told Patch. "Our customers can absolutely expect to find their favorite dishes on the menu."

And Petrone is excited to move past the events of last spring.

"The controversy was prompted by Luigi, who is no longer associated with the restaurant. Il Posto di Joey [is] eager to welcome new customers as well as our existing customers."