Taste Of Italy Officially Closes, La Famiglia To Take Its Place

After a massive controversy, a Capital Region restaurant has been forced to close its doors, allowing for a local favorite to come in and take its place.

The Controversy

Just in case you aren't aware of the massive firestorm that occurred across social media and in person, we'll fill you in. This debacle started in the summer of 2026 when the Cappello family, who owned Taste of Italy in Latham came under fire for a social media post.

Their business account made an insensitive and racially targeted post about Harbe Nagi, an autistic seven year old boy who went missing and was later found deceased.

This post caused a litany of backlash, both on social media and in person, with protestors gathering outside of the building day after day to slow down business.

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Officially Closing

On October 4th, Times Union officially reported that Taste of Italy has closed its doors. Former owner Frank Cappello posted a video to Facebook the same day, which showed him driving through either Texas or New Mexico. The leading theory is that the business plans to relocate to somewhere in that area, but nothing officially has been reported.

person picking sliced pizza

In their stead, La Famiglia, a fan-favorite local pizzeria, will take the building. This will be the businesses second location, and their first in Latham. It's unclear as to when the rebrand will happen, but the owners and locals are excited for it.

Owner Ervin Dalipaj told the Times Union that he was unaware of the controversy, but plans to deliver on what everyone loves so much about the original La Famiglia location in this new one.