While it looks like an average house from the street, the Olney House is the cradle of the town of Olney. Before it was first established as a town, the area consisted only of the house and the acres of farmland that surrounded it. The house’s original owners named it after the town in England, as it was the hometown of their favorite poet, William Cowpers.
Later, the surrounding area, which had been known as Mechanicsville up to that point, was renamed to Olney.
A historical marker still stands outside the Olney House to this day, but what’s inside the house has changed over the years. To some, it may come as a surprise that the historic Olney House is now home to a sleek, modern Italian restaurant. But that surprise is a
welcome one, as the restaurant Salt & Vine Trattoria and Wine Bar has been the talk of the town since its opening in spring 2023.
Salt & Vine is not the first restaurant to take up residence in the Olney House. Another Italian restaurant, longtime local staple Riccuti’s, used to be housed there before it closed in 2020.
“I actually met my wife in this building when it was Riccuti’s, when she was working as a bartender,” says Andrew Ricagno, director of operations at Green Ridge Hospitality. Ricagno spent two years working as Salt & Vine’s general manager before taking on his current position.
The family-run hospitality group also owns The Turn House in Columbia and Maggie’s in Westminster. Originally, Salt & Vine was meant to be the group’s second restaurant, but when supply chain issues during the COVID-19 pandemic stymied the construction and renovation process, it took a few years for the trattoria to open its doors.
The Olney House was in a bit of a sorry state when renovations began, says owner Thomas Zippelli.
“We went into our renovations with the notion that we would just be extending the size of the bar, but we quickly realized that the building was about to fall down,” Zippelli recalls. “It was at a point where it was pretty much condemnable. But we went through this whole process with the local historical society, since it’s on the National Historic Registry, and restored it to the best of our ability while still making it a more modern restaurant.”
Zippelli grew up cooking Italian food, and for Salt & Vine, he was set on offering fresh, homemade dishes. The restaurant’s pasta dishes are all made completely from scratch, including the pasta itself. Kitchen staff typically spend three to four hours every day making pasta dough and cutting fusilli, linguini, lasagna and more.
Using handmade pasta adds a unique flavor and texture to these dishes, as well as highlighting the seasonings, sauces and other ingredients used.
“The Fusilli Bolognese recipe is a Thomas Zippelli special,” Ricagno proclaims. “It’s the best bolognese I’ve ever had. It’s a pretty basic dish, but with all the prep that goes into it — the fresh herbs, the three cuts of meat it uses, the handmade pasta — it’s definitely an experience that such a simple dish can be so incredible.”
Salt & Vine is also well-known for its wood-fired pizzas. The chefs use a family recipe passed down by the owners of the former Riccuti’s, as well as the pizza oven they had installed there.
The restaurant’s menu changes with the season, with fresh seasonal produce and seafood taking the stage whenever it is available. But popular staples include the Linguini Granchio (crab linguini), the Whole Roasted Branzino, the Caesar Salad and the many cuts of steak.
One popular item wasn’t even supposed to be on the menu past Salt & Vine’s opening. The Beef Carpaccio was initially taken off of the appetizer menu following its launch, but Ricagno notes that they received so many inquiries about where the dish had gone that it’s now a permanent fixture at the restaurant.
Many of these dishes are made with locally sourced ingredients, including produce from Bella Vita Farm in Brookeville and Frank’s Produce & Greenhouses in Elkridge.
“People even show up at our door selling vegetables sometimes,” Zippelli says.
While the process of opening Salt & Vine was an arduous one, the restaurant was immediately welcomed by Olney residents when it opened its doors. Now, it’s a common spot for fine dining in the tight-knit community.
“We actually had the opposite problem when we opened,” Zippelli notes. “We had so many people trying to come in that we had to do reservations-only dining to control the flow of people. … People were excited that we took our time and rehabilitated an iconic landmark, the Olney House itself.”
But Salt & Vine’s reach is set to expand beyond the town of Olney, as Green Ridge Hospitality is planning on opening a second location in Frederick. “The funny thing with Frederick is that people think it’s a really big market, but it’s just as tight-knit as Olney,” Ricagno says. “I think there’s so many great culinary experiences up in Frederick, and we’re so excited to be a part of that fraternity. It’s one of the fastest-growing cities in Maryland, but it still has that small-town feeling.”
