The one-story brick building at 1739 Dorchester Ave., a short walk from St. Mark’s church, has been home over the years to variously named bakeries and cafes, including Dot 2 Dot. On Easter Sunday this year, a new name went up: Via Cannuccia.

The Italian restaurant run by the husband-and-wife team of Stefano Quaresima and Tsedenia Kiros offers a quaint dining room with low lighting, green walls decorated with artwork, large mirrors, and Italian signs. Wooden tables cover the floor from the front door up to the bar that overlooks the kitchen. But what the venue lacks in size, it makes up for in the talent of the chef, who is garnering acclaim up and down the avenue.

Quaresima, born in Rome and classically trained in French and Italian cooking, has worked in France, Greece, England, and The Maldives. Ten years ago, he moved to Boston where he has worked as an executive chef at Petit Robert Bistro and a baker at Eataly in the Prudential Center. 

“I always wanted to open a restaurant, it was my ultimate dream,” said Quaresima. “We started looking for a restaurant five years ago but nothing good ever came until this space was available. It’s really close to our home, and we’re happy with the whole space.” 

While Quaresima runs the kitchen, his wife oversees the front of the house. Like Quaresima, Kiros is not originally from the United States. She moved to the US from Ethiopia when she was just seven years old. After growing up in Northern Virginia and attending college, she lived in New York City until she was recruited by Charles River Apparel. She accepted a job with the company and moved to Boston, where she met Quaresima. 

The couple now lives in Ashmont and has become more involved in the community since opening their restaurant. “I worked in Sharon, Stefano worked in Boston, so we didn’t spend that much time here,” said Kiros. “We were able to meet a lot of the community and they have been such a key point in helping us. Their support has been key to everything.”

Even though other successful Italian restaurants exist in the area – Tavolo is just a 10-minute walk up the Ave. to Ashmont down the road, for example – the couple believes that their traditional menu makes their business unique. Specifically, Quaresima wants guests to enjoy the Roman-style food that he grew up eating. “My grandmother, my mom, and my aunt were the best cooks in the world for me in my childhood, and that’s what I want to represent,” he said. 

Not only did Quaresima’s mother inspire the menu, but she also played a key role in the opening of the restaurant in April. The eatery site was purchased last September and required a lot of “internal work,” as well as getting the proper permits and licenses for operation.

“Stefano’s parents came for months before we opened to help us set up,” Kiros said. “And then they went back to Italy for about three weeks, and we cried a river, and they came back and stayed with us for two months. They were such a tremendous help for us and for Stefano. His parents were working 10 to 15-hour days with him.” 

Last week, Quaresima dropped his parents off at the airport to return to Italy. Though they will be thousands of miles away, their presence remains in the dishes offered at each meal. The cafe, trattoria, and pizzeria is open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and from 4 to 10 on Fridays. On Saturdays and Sundays, they’re open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. for dinner, with brunch offered from 9 to 3.

Traditional food like the Pizza Alla Pala, draws a crowd to dinner each night. The old-style meal differs from the Neapolitan pizza that most Americans are used to. It “comes from an ancient grain of Rome; it’s basically French fermented sourdough pizza,” said Quaresima. The couple imported an oven from Italy to make the pizza that is mostly only found in that country. The outcome is “like eating a cloud, light and fluffy,” according to Quaresima.

He hopes to offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, setting his goal as the end of the year. “On Saturdays and Sundays, we do brunch. That’s where Stefano’s love is. I mean, he loves baking bread, he loves baking just basic goods. It’s really his forte,” said Kiros. 

Like others in the industry, the couple need to hire additional staff members before they can increase hours. They rely on the support of the community, which has continued to grow since opening day. “It was slow and steady, and then little by little, I think the community just kept getting a lot of repeat customers,” said Kiros. “It’s been great. It’s more than we had ever expected in such a short period of time.”