HALFMOON -- Sisters Angela and Roie Angerami -- who many recognize as the familiar faces behind the counter at Civitello's Italian pastry shop in Schenectady -- have found their new niche at The Courtside Grille in Halfmoon.
"We're used to working 10 hours a day. When this came up . . . this fit us," said Roie Angerami.
The sisters spent years running the Schenectady shop, which closed for renovations earlier this year.
Courtside Grille, which opened in 2021, is tucked inside the Impact Athletic Center in Halfmoon, offering a mix of salads, sandwiches, wraps and fried fare. The owners brought Angela and Roie Angerami on to bolster the lunch business.
"We wanted to try to build a lunch business," said Erin Huerter, who co-owns Impact with her son and NBA player Kevin Huerter, and several others. "We wanted to use the benefit of a location with all the businesses and local housing developments on this side of town."
The spacious grill feels like a cross between a deli and a lounge, with sizable TVs on one side and a view of the courts. It offers lunch and dinner Tuesday through Friday and during weekend tournaments. The Angeramis started at the Grille in mid-November and are focusing solely on the weekday lunch service.
"In the beginning, the first week, it's like, 'I can't find this' because we're thinking Civitello's. Then, all of a sudden, we just know where everything is now," Roie Angerami said.
Behind the counter, the Angeramis are busy making homemade bread and tomato pie.
"We're making greens and beans and chicken soup," Roie Angerami said, adding that they're going to start making stuffed bread as well.
Angela's chicken salad and Roie's eggplant sandwich were recently added to the menu. Though they've only been at Halfmoon for weeks, longtime customers from Schenectady have already come by. One customer cried as soon as she saw them.
"To see people that have known them for years be reacquainted with their presence has been really heartwarming," Huerter said.
Civitello's was founded by their grandfather in 1921. Angela and Roie are third-generation owners who started working there young. In 2022 they took on partner Mark Novak for longevity; he bought it along with adjacent buildings for upkeep responsibilities.
"It's going to look exactly same inside except we'll put tin ceiling back that used be there," Novak noted about renovations causing delays but aiming open early January now instead fall due structural issues discovered meantime since closing last January initially planned reopening timeframe missed unexpectedly encountered complications further extending timeline originally anticipated before starting project based initial assessments made prior commencement work undertaken subsequently adjusted accordingly new findings revealed necessitating adjustments plans accordingly forward progress continues despite challenges faced along way ultimately goal remains unchanged reopen fully restored condition beloved community fixture once again serve patrons eagerly awaiting return cherished establishment fond memories associated past experiences shared generations alike throughout decades existence enduring legacy carried future preservation efforts ongoing ensure continued success moving ahead 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