Mozz & Co offers traditional Italian sandwiches with a modern flair in a newly renovated space on the edge of West Hartford Center.

By Ronni Newton

West Hartford has developed a reputation as a “foodie” destination, and while there are very few culinary niches that have yet to be filled in the town an Italian deli was one of them. That is until the opening of Mozz & Co.

“There’s nothing like this in West Hartford,” said chef/owner Joey Cusano. “There’s not a sandwich shop in West Hartford,” he said, other than chain restaurants.

While Mozz & Co won’t be the type of traditional Italian deli with slabs of meat hanging from the ceiling, it will feature house-crafted meats as well imported salamis and cheeses and homemade Italian desserts. The interior of the new fast casual eatery was transformed from its previous occupancy as a casual Mexican restaurant by designer Robin Jones into a space where guests can gather and linger over a sandwich and espresso just as easily as they can grab lunch or dinner to go.

Opening his own business has been a dream in the making for years. “I used to watch my mom in the kitchen,” said Cusano. After graduating from Southington High School, where he played football, he followed his love of cooking to the renowned Johnson & Wales culinary program and started his career with the Max Restaurant Group while still a student.

“I worked at Max Downtown for 11 years,” said Cusano, starting from age 19. He’s also done catering, and was the executive chef from the time Le Mazet opened on Farmington Avenue in the fall of 2o23 until late last year when devoted his full attention to opening Mozz & Co. In December, Le Mazet was honored as “Restaurant of the Year for Hartford County” at the 2025 CRAZIES Awards celebration.

“I’m excited, nervous. This is what I’ve wanted for years,” Cusano said Thursday afternoon with just days before the Mozz & Co opening. He said he is full of adrenaline and emotion in advance of a soft opening for family and friends planned for Saturday, April 4, and the official launch on Wednesday, April 8 at 11 a.m. “Us chefs always want our own spot, and then when it happens …”

The menu is primarily sandwiches, available on semolina bread sourced from A&M Bakery (14-inch whole as well as half sizes available), or served on Cusano’s homemade 8-inch-by-8-inch focaccia. There is also gluten-free bread available as an option, he said.

Monica Cusano, Joey Cusano’s mom and his inspiration in the kitchen, is one of the many family members and friends who has been helping ready the restaurant for opening. She was very much involved in the selection of A&M as the bread vendor.

“A sandwich is all about the bread,” Monica Cusano said. The outside needs to be crispy but not too crispy, and the inside needs to be soft and properly hold the meat, but not too bready. She said that over the course of a month or so, she and Joey tested out bread from eight or ten bakeries until they found the “just-right” option of A&M. Rockland Bakery is the back-up, and will be the source of rolls and baguettes that will be available on the retail shelf along with jars of marinated artichokes, pepperoncini, and other Italian specialties, as well as Mozz & Co merchandise.

Meats are also available for purchase by the pound.

Cusano said his personal favorite sandwich is the Porchetta Trifolata – porchetta with broccoli rabe, a crisp provolone, and a lemon truffle aoili “with lots of garlic.”

Another highlight will likely be the Cotoletta Classico or the Calabrese Cotoletta – both of which feature his homemade chicken cutlet.

Traditional Italian desserts include tiramisu, limoncello tiramisu, and torta della luna (the gluten-free dessert option on the menu), which he said is essentially a chocolate lava cake.

Espresso, regular coffee, and cappuccino (the coffee is from Lavazza) are available, along with soft drinks.

The liquor permit is still pending, but once approved they will also offer beer, wine, and canned cocktails.

Hearing about Cusano’s upbringing, it’s clear that opening his own restaurant with a focus on fresh, high-quality, hand-crafted foods would be his destiny. Monica Cusano shared that her four children were raised on a 30-acre farm in Southington. They had 600 tomato plants, and the kids would help her pick them along with other fresh vegetables and herbs. They canned their own fried peppers and marinated eggplant, and made homemade salsa. Joey embraced the traditions from an early age, she said.

They also raised chickens as well as dozens of turkeys that they would slaughter and butcher each year just before Thanksgiving, and then prepare with various homemade stuffings.

Their dining table sat 20, and every Sunday they had a big dinner that included not only family but lots of friends. “Anyone could show up,” Monica Cusano said.

For the first month the regular hours at Mozz & Co will be 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. The hours will expand later in the spring, and in the near future Mozz & Co will also offer family-style Italian pop-up meals on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and perhaps add breakfast.

Patio seating will be available very soon, Joey Cusano said.

“Joey’s doing what I always dreamed of doing. It’s in his blood,” Monica Cusano said.

For more information, visit the Mozz & Co website.

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