New Italian Restaurant Moves Into Former Wanderlunch Space

Rosso and Wine’s Pronto restaurant has opened inside Penn Central Mall.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – June 5th, 2023 – There’s something new in the space that Wanderlunch occupied, and it’s Pronto, from the people who brought Rosso and Wine, fine Italian foods to Penn Central Mall in Oskaloosa.

They have taken another step and are opening Pronto, which means ‘Ready’ in Italian.

Ready is something that describes owners Paola Maria Savoia and Max Leonida, a couple from Italy and filmmakers by trade. They landed in Oskaloosa thanks to William Penn and quickly made Oskaloosa their home.

Rosso and Wine near the center court in Penn Central Mall has been an active place since opening less than a year ago. Many different tastings and classes have been held, helping customers become more informed.

On why they started an Italian food store and its reception so far by the community, Paola says she hoped Oskaloosa would love Italian Food and that the “response was and is very good every day.”

“I love Iowa so much, and coming from California has been an interesting experience. I moved to Iowa because my husband Max Leonida, was hired by William Penn University as Filmmaker’s teacher. Together we want to put Oskaloosa on the map with the movie studios, and now we are working on a big project. We already have the first investors, and when we are ready, we will start on the movie production,” says Paola of their time so far in Oskaloosa.

People here are genuine and sincere. The community is warm, supporting us daily with shares on social media and spreading the word. We couldn’t be happier,” adds Paola of the support they’ve gotten from the community.

On having two businesses now, Paola says each business helps the other. “I thought that with only the Italian products, it looks like something’s missing. When we opened Rosso & Wine, my costumers started asking for coffee, gelato, sandwiches etc… etc., and when I heard that one spot was available, immediately, I thought one plus one is two. Bingo!! Finally, I could serve food to my customers and bring our knowledge about Italian recipes. Also, the name Pronto was born spontaneously…Pronto in Italian means ready!! Now we are ready to serve food in Oskaloosa.”

Pronto will utilize secret recipes for their sauces, such as pesto, mushroom sauce, vodka sauce, and olive sauce. An authentic Italian taste and experience are hard to find in the Midwest, and we are proud to choose Oskaloosa as starting shop Rosso & Wine Pronto.”

Pronto will start with different Panino or Piadina and a gluten-free option.

Their first four sandwiches are Alfredo, Godfather, Pinocchio (for vegetarians), and Venezia.

“All the ingredients are Italian, that we have shipped from Italy every week,” explained Paola.

We also will have Paulo Day’s Special like Gnocco Fritto, a fried bread with Italian Meat and cheese (supergood), and The Super Special Sandwich in Honor of Vincent Provenzano… Vin Man Sandwich or Mr. Oskaloosa sandwich. He represents Oskaloosa, and he deserves it… everybody loves Vinnie!!!”

“Of course, we will also serve coffee espresso!” says Paola. “We do catering, events, wine tasting, and any needs, just ask us, and we will be happy to satisfy any requests.”

Pronto will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am to 1:30 pm inside Penn Central Mall.

Paola says they will be starting soon on professional cooking classes with an Italian Chef. “The class will be one year of authentic experience with all the ingredients and Italian Heritage to share with the students and a test at the end with a diploma for the curriculum.”

You can find out more on their Facebook page HERE – https://www.facebook.com/RossoandWine