‘Wow’ Factor

If you haven't been to Summerville in a while, you're in for a big surprise. Historically, it was known as a retreat for coastal South Carolinians looking to escape the Lowcountry's summer malaise. These days, its small-town charm is attracting Charleston notables like Nico Romo, a French Master Chef who entered the market with the opening of his restaurant Laura in 2022, an homage to his Italian grandmother. The past several years have seen the town grow into a vibrant city, attracting folks looking for a refined quality of life and the cuisine to go along with it.

“Summerville reminds me of Charleston, 20 years ago,” states Romo, whose hospitality group includes French oyster bar Nico on Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant and upscale Bistronomy in downtown Charleston. “I was looking for a bustling city feel, and Summerville had it.”

Before founding Nico Romo Hospitality, Romo directed Patrick Properties' culinary operation, overseeing events and helming the kitchen of the acclaimed restaurant Fish. During that time, he was named a Monterey Bay Aquarium Sustainable Seafood Ambassador and member of the Seafood Watch Blue Ribbon Task Force recognizing his commitment to ocean-friendly seafood and Lowcountry fishermen.

The concept at Laura revolves around the food he grew up eating with family in Italy, with the traditional tomato sauce at its center.

“The mother sauce is the basis of everything we do in the kitchen,” he says. The kitchen produces 1,000 pounds of its signature red sauce each week, using San Marzano tomatoes from Italy and a few simple ingredients treated with “passion and a lot of respect.”

Romo collaborates with head chef Dominique Holsopple to bring a modern twist to the dishes. Also from a food-forward family, Holsopple trained in classic French technique at a culinary school in Rio de Janeiro near her home in Brazil.

“I ask my sous chef, did it ‘wow’ you—you've got to put it in your mouth and say, ‘wow,’” she says with a laugh. “I want the customer to have the same reaction.”

“She's very respectful of the Italian roots of the recipes,” says Romo. “We import our flour from Italy. The double 0 is made from a soft wheat that's a finer grind. It's low in gluten and more digestible—so people with gluten sensitivities can come here and enjoy our pastas and breads.”

“We have a very close crew, very good sous chefs, line cooks,” says Holsopple. “We pay a lot of attention to the prep and to every step of every dish. There's a lot of love there.”

The Laura kitchen sources as much product locally as possible. Producers include Abundant Seafood, Crosby's Seafood, Limehouse Produce, Yellow Dog Farm and eggs from Fill-West Farms.

The evening my guest and I dined at Laura, we found a lively crowd in a spacious open dining room designed by local architect Justin Feit. Romo designed the interior spaces himself. His vision was to create a blend of Old World charm and industrial elements. It features an exhibition kitchen, where “every dish is touched by the chef.” An adjacent space features a wraparound bar bordered by a wall covered by framed photos of Nico's family across the generations.

We started with a couple of dishes from the antipasti section. Arancini was made with a cheesy cacio e pepe risotto, and, instead of the usual red sauce, sourced local winter beets in inventive butter cream sauce added an earthiness to the dish.

We loved the pear tart chef says is a marriage of Romo's Italian and French heritage. It combined sweet fruit with salty prosciutto, pecans, gorgonzola and spicy arugula splashed with a Chianti wine reduction that sweetens the balsamic vinaigrette.

As simple a it is, we were indeed wowed by the tender, handmade meatballs of beef, veal and pork that are braised with a few condiments in the excellent mother sauce, and finished with a flurry of freshly-grated parmesan and herb crumbs.

Insalata Di Mare was a luxurious dish of calamari, shrimp and bay scallops that are poached and marinated in a vinaigrette of buttery Castelvetrano olives, peppers, red onions and citrus.

From the primo came fresh agnolotti executed by pastry chef Caitlin DiBenedetto. The delicate pasta was stuffed with a lemon and parmesan infused ricotta and drenched in a sauce of brown sage butter and finished with parmesan, pistachios, tricolor cauliflower and lemon crumbs.

The delicate noodles of the Pappardelle Fungo were drenched in a braised mushroom cream, and was a dish that packed a lot of wow factor with the addition of housemade nduja sausage. Pecorino Roman, parmesan and herb crumbs finished it.

Looking to add a bit of excitement to the menu's scallop entree, chef paired the perfectly seared shellfish atop a buttery beet risotto, garnished with a baked parsnip crisp and Tuscan kale.

A standout side dish we sampled was composed of tender artichoke hearts and portabella mushrooms sauteed in extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and shallots and finished with a Chianti gastrique.

Neapolitan pizzas included innovative offerings such as the Porcini, with prosciutto and a mushroom cream; Pistachio, with goat cheese, mozzarella and fresh mortadella; and Soppressata, with mozzarella, ricotta, spicy honey and shallots.

The kitchen honors vegetarian and vegan requests, composing fresh dishes a la minute.

DiBenedetto's housemade desserts included a thick, rich gelato, semi freddo, a delicate cheesecake, and the crunchy Italian must-have cannoli bathed in a white chocolate sauce.

Romo expanded his group's presence in Summerville with the February 2025 opening of Kersey House, a renovated travelers rest built around 1912. Southern verandas and four grand parlors feature heart pine floors, original fireplaces and tributes to family members. The venue serves lunch and dinner seven days a week and will host weddings in the future.

It's clear that Summerville is happening.

Laura

101 N. Main Street, Summerville

843-738-6988

www.laurasummerville.com