Days away from opening, Coast restaurant captures flavors and atmosphere of European cafes

The flavors of Italy, France and Spain and the charm of a European cafe will make lunch an experience when Tavi’s Salumeria opens Tuesday in downtown Gulfport.

Hints of what’s to come at the new restaurant are posted on social media by people who were invited for a tasting of the European sandwiches while the restaurant was completed.

“These sandwiches were light, silky and full of distinct flavors, especially from the homemade pestos,” is how one person described the food on Facebook.

“Oh are you in for an incredible treat,” another posted. “Tavi’s Salumeria is coming to downtown Gulfport and it’s going to be something special! Get ready Gulf Coast.”

Octavio and Shannon Arzola are the owners of Pop Brothers gourmet popsicles, which they opened nine years ago in Gulfport and expanded across the region.

A chef for 30 years, Octavio had a dream to open a salumeria, or European deli, that would bring a taste of Italy and his native Spain to his home on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Tavi’s, which is Octavio’s nickname, is at at 1618 25th Ave. (U.S. 49), across the street from Pop Brothers in downtown Gulfport.

Authentic as it gets without a trip abroad

“He’s had this idea for awhile,” Shannon said, but first they had to make sure they could get the European ingredients. Perrone & Sons in New Orleans agreed to import what he needed, she said.

Everything served at Tavi’s, with one notable exception, is imported from Europe

“You literally can be eating here the same as if you were in Italy,” Octavio says.

The look and feel of a European cafe or deli, starts with the black and white awning over the front door. The interior is spacious and sparkling, with a blue floor that could symbolize the Atlantic Ocean between Europe and the U.S. and a map that connects the ingredients, like prosciutto from Parma, Italy and Manchego cheese from Spain, to their destination at Tavi’s in Gulfport.

A European street scene is part of the pictures they created make an art gallery. They built tables with butcher block tops and they’ll turn on Spanish and Italian music to complete the scene.

For those who have always wanted to make the trip to Europe to experience an Italian cafe, “We are saving you a ton of money,” he said.

‘Best grilled cheese’

It’s not just the ingredients, but the equipment and techniques that are imported to make Tavi’s authentic.

The hand-cranked slicer from Italy, in iconic red, can slice the meat paper thin.

The cheese heater melts a wheel of cheese so it’s easy to spread on the fresh bread.

The toaster melds the flavors of meat and cheese and the fresh toppings of tomatoes, peppers, basil pesto, truffle cream and others complete the sandwich.

There are a dozen sandwiches on the menu, some vegetarian, others familiar that are taken over the top, like the Ferrara.

“I think this is the best grilled cheese sandwich you ever tasted in your life,” Octavio said. It combines raclette cheese that melts so well, with smoked gouda and brie, a N’Duja spreadable cheese with a little kick or portobello as a vegetarian option.

He is a chef and his many European cookbooks make a colorful display in the restaurant, but Octavio says,“ These are not my recipes. These are the authentic recipes from Italy.”

The Rome sandwich has taste testers talking after they taste the pistachio cream and honey over mortadella meat and stracciatella cheese.

Verona combines house meatballs in vodka sauce, with basil pesto, Calabrese pepper pesto, fresh mozzarella, and pecorino.

Other sandwiches are from Madrid and Paris and various regions of Italy.

If customers trust him to combine the ideal ingredients, Octavio said he will show them a taste they’ve never experienced.

The potato chips are something unexpected in Gulfport, with flavors like foie gras and fried egg that tastes like egg drop soup, one tester said. All agreed the pesto chips were exceptional.

Italian Pellegrino, Crodo and Sicilian Italian waters are among the beverages along with that one item that isn’t imported from Europe — Dr. Brown high end soda from New York.

To top it off, the display case will tempt with a variety of cakes from Sicily.

Fast and fun in downtown

Octavio and Shannon opened Tavi’s to be the kind of restaurant they couldn’t find in South Mississippi, and what the thousands of people who work in downtown Gulfport crave, he said.

The choices now are fast food restaurants and more expensive restaurants where people have to be concerned they will be able to eat and make it back to work on time, he said.

“We are positioning ourselves right in the middle,” he said.

They can make a sandwich in about four minutes, he said, and for less than lunch at an upscale restaurant.

This is just the beginning.

“We’re going to start with the sandwiches and evolve,” he said. Charcuterie boards will be next on the menu, paired with select wine and beers.

The restaurant will be open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., with quick service during the week and a more relaxed experience on Saturday.

“It will be fun,” he said, when customers can have a cocktail and try the special. Later they’ll add wine and food tastings and host private parties.

“I look forward to all the new tastes,” said Mark Sowerbutts, originally from England and now a resident of South Mississippi. Tavi’s has a great location, he said, and he likes seeing the staff prep his sandwich with the imported equipment, making it kind of like an event rather than a lunch.