Ticino in Avon: Hand-picked and homemade

AVON, Colorado – Ticino Italian Restaurant in Avon has a new owner and a whole new vision. The pizzeria is now a full service restaurant, also offering a more extensive menu.

Charles Frey, former general manager of Sonnenalp in Vail, has taken over the run of the place, with his son Sacha as partner. The father-son duo, with Kitchen Manager Abel Moran, designed the new menu, which now includes paninis on the lunch menu and a wider selection of pastas and salads, in addition to the pizza and pasta menu already established.

“Sacha, the chef (Moran) and I, on a Sunday, we were up in my apartment cooking and writing the menu,” Frey said.

That’s not the only thing that’s a family affair at Ticino. The medallion di mail alla panna, a pork entree sauteed in a mushroom cream sauce, is a recipe by Frey’s mother. And Frey makes his own “secret sauce,” a zesty butter sauce with more than 15 ingredients, for the New York strip entree.

Frey and his son also hand-picked the exclusive wine selection. Another hands-on affair, they met with a representative from the company at 10:30 at night and “didn’t go home until all the wines were selected.”

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All of the pastas are homemade, except the gluten free options. The pasta dishes are “build your own” – guests select a type of pasta and a sauce, and can opt to add toppings like grilled chicken breast, vegetables, shrimp or scallops. Frey considers the prices reasonable.

“If you want to go wild and throw three chicken breasts on there, it’s up to you,” he said. “You’re not forced to pay for a chicken breast unless you want it.”

Frey has worked in hotels and restaurants for more than 40 years. He has known Ticino’s former owners, Ronda and Daniel Niederhauser, since moving to the Vail Valley 18 years ago.

“I was very pleased with what Daniel did before,” Frey said. “I get a lot of customers who walk in and I ask them how they heard about us. A lot of them find us on Urbanspoon, Yelp, and we have very good comments on those webpages. After only six weeks, that has a lot to do with the former owner.”

The Niederhausers continue to own and operate the Columbine Bakery in Avon.

The new owners continue to use the Wood Stone oven purchased by the Niederhausers. The oven has a stone plate where the food is baked. The restaurant now uses it for paninis and some entrees as well.

“It’s the Rolls Royce of pizza ovens,” Frey said. “I think it is absolutely the correct temperature to make pizzas … It’s consistent, it retains the heat.”

Ticino is located on the bottom floor of the Lodge at Avon Center. Park on the western side of the building for the shortest walk.

Jill Beathard is an intern at the Vail Daily. Email comments about this story to jbeathard@vaildaily.com.