Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
New Ownership: Siena, A Mediterranean Bistro, formerly known as Cafe Primavera, owner Martha Duke, with her partner Don Skipwith. Duke was the manager of Cafe Primavera for two years and recently bought and renamed the cafe located on Lincoln Avenue.
New owner and name, but same style for WG restaurant
The Cafe Primavera is becoming 'Siena, A Mediterranean Bistro'
By Kate Carter
There's not much different but the name at Willow Glen's Cafe Primavera restaurant.
That's by design, says new owner Martha Duke, who last week bought the restaurant, where she had been manager for two years, from Joanna and David Biondi. March 19 it opened as "Siena, A Mediterranean Bistro," still offering traditional favorites in a casual, friendly environment.
"I'm excited about this because now I get to do more with the kitchen," Duke says. "I also like the people; I like being out front with everybody. It's the best of both worlds."
Duke, who started as a server at the restaurant in 1998, said the change in ownership was good for both her and the Biondis.
"[Partner] Don [Skipwith] and I were looking for a place to purchase for over a year," she says. "He asked me, 'What exactly do you want?' and I said, 'I want something just like Primavera.' I brought it to their attention, and they were already thinking about it. I think it was just a perfect fit."
Duke studied at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. and is hoping to broaden some of the restaurant's offerings to include food from countries other than Italy.
"Italian is my true love as far as food goes," she says, but points out that Lincoln Avenue doesn't need another Italian restaurant. So she decided to expand the menu and offer food from around the Mediterranean Sea.
She plans to keep the popular salads and wine dinners but introduce more pasta dishes, some new appetizers and possibly offer theme weeks that highlight the food from a particular country or region.
Duke also has plans to lower prices a bit to make Siena more affordable for customers to visit more than once a month. She will change the hours, offering lunch Monday through Friday and dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Keeping the restaurant closed on the weekends would make it available to private parties and events, she says. In addition, she'd like to be more available to her son Christopher, 9, and be able to attend his baseball and soccer games.
The same veteran servers will keep their jobs, as will the kitchen staff, Duke says. She has also changed the hours of night manager Christine Leon to include some during the day, and Duke will still be around to greet customers and make sure everything runs smoothly.
"I think the two of us should be just fine," Duke says.
She and the Biondis have been working together to make the transition smooth. The Biondis will keep Cafe Primavera's office above the new Siena, as well as their two other locations in San Jose and Los Gatos and all their catering services. Siena will also continue to offer take-out and large party items.
"I don't think things are going to be that different," Duke says. "It won't be a brand new place for people. There's a reason people keep coming back--good food, good service. It's a friendly place to be."
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
