Tamburro’s Italian Home now open in Trussville

By Crystal McGough, Editor

TRUSSVILLE – Tamburro’s Italian Home is officially open to the public as of Tuesday, Aug. 29, at 11 a.m.

Credit: Crystal McGough

Many long-time Trussvillians fondly remember the restaurant’s predecessors, Tamburro and Sons and Tamburro’s Bella Notte, which was located on Glenn Avenue in downtown Trussville from 1994 to 2010.

Now, Trussville’s Italian staple has returned with a new name and a new location: 5954 Chalkville Mountain Road, the former residence of Seafood and Chicken Box.

Founder Dick Tamburro, along with the new owners, his daughter Kyleen Kramer and daughter-in-law Tina Tamburro, held a ribbon cutting and food tasting for invited guests on Saturday, Aug. 26.

“I came to Trussville in 1994 … All I can say is (to) thank the town of Trussville and all the people that live there, and everybody else that came to my restaurant,” Dick Tamburro said. “This is why we’re opening up another one, so my daughter can keep the name going and make a lot of money.”

The new name, Tamburro’s Italian Home, is a nod to Tamburro family history, rooted in a small establishment in Pennsylvania.

“This all started when (Kyleen) was a little girl,” Dick Tamburro said. “We used to go to a place called ‘The Italian Home’ up north, which my mom and dad used to work at.”

“So that’s how we came up with the name,” Kramer said, taking over from her dad. “We have Tamburro’s, and then we just tied my grandparents in with the ‘Italian Home.’ We just wanted to have everybody in because our family is what it’s all about.”

Tamburro’s Italian Home will be bringing back to Trussville all of Dick’s locally-famous recipes, with his son taking over as the main cook.

“The food will be familiar (but) the look will be refreshed; it’s not going to be a carbon-copy of (Dick’s) restaurant,” Kramer said. “But it’s just so steeped in family, it is what it is.”

As for the food, Kramer and Tamburro said they will have all the traditional Italian foods, including, among other things, pastas, chicken parmesan, lasagna and manicotti.

“It’s basically going to be a traditional menu, and then we’re going to run specials on Friday and Saturday night – just different things to see what hits and what doesn’t hit,” Kramer said. “We’re going to have several desserts, but we’re going to have mini cannoli as opposed to the big ones, and the plan is to have seasonal flavors, which a lot of people don’t do. Maybe a chocolate-mint one at Christmastime, or a pumpkin one in the fall; something like that.”

Business hours for Tamburro’s Italian home are Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The restaurant will be closed on Mondays.

“Thank you for welcoming us back to Trussville,” Kramer said at the ribbon cutting. “We’re so happy to be a part of the community and we’re going to give back whenever we can.”