It’s no secret that dining at our new buffet, 7 Kitchens, is like choosing from seven different restaurants at once. In addition to the seven different stations, the restaurant has two standalone bars—one for salad, the other for antipasto.

The antipasto bar is a real treat—even if you don’t have Italian American heritage.

For those of you who don’t speak Italian, “antipasto” means “the stuff you eat before the meal.” It stands to reason, then, that the items on this bar make for great appetizers.

Currently, there are 15 different antipasto options, as well as 4 composed salads utilizing various components from the antipasto bar.

The stuff represents some of the same delectable staples you might find at Nonna’s house: salami, pepperoni, fresh Ciliegine Mozzarella, bite-sized chunks of fresh pecorino Romano, house roasted and marinated mini bell peppers, marinated Cerignola olives, cherry peppers stuffed with prosciutto and provolone, and more. According to Chef de Cuisine Dustin Tuthill, there are so many options at the antipasto bar, it’s almost impossible to sample everything on the same visit.

“We really wanted to focus on familiar flavors and give our guests some of the best quality items we could find,” Chef Dustin said.

The 7 Kitchens antipasto bar sources locally whenever possible, which means some of the meats and cheeses are from right here in Upstate New York. Dustin noted that his team is slicing the salami and pepperoni in house, marinating the peppers with thyme and garlic and gently roasting them in our brick ovens, and gently breaking down whole wheels of pecorino Romano into the bite-sized nuggets.

Dustin’s suggestion for tackling the antipasto station: Be creative.

“My best advice is to go to the salad station and visit the Italian station first, then go to the antipasto station and top a fresh salad or a piece of pizza with some of our various antipasto items,” he said. “It’s a great way to experiment, try new things and create new flavors and unique combinations.”

In other words, get out there and make Nonna proud.