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Justine Bursoni hails from Chicago. She tried as hard as possible to leave here, graduating after three years of Art History school. It was Custard Cup (and owning her own home) that forced her to stay. She now lives in downtown Champaign, is working on her master's in art education and works at the Orpheum Children's Science Museum.
Downtown Champaign will be suffering yet another Italian restaurant closing this year. First, Dom's closed at the end of 2007 and now, The Great Impasta, a downtown tradition for more than 25 years, will be shutting its doors at the end of 2008.
"It's not established, for me, if this is a closing or if it's another move. It might just be another part of the saga," Harold Allston, the former chef and now owner of The Great Impasta says. In years past, the restaurant occupied a space in the building three doors away, at 132 W. Church St., where Sushi Kame is currently located.
"Downtown is definitely the place to be right now,” Allston says. “So I would consider the downtown [for a new location]. But there are other possibilities — the construction that 's happening at Windsor and Philo in southeast Urbana. There's a myriad of possibilities. I'm entertaining all of them."
In the meantime, Allston is thinking up great events for the Impasta's 25th anniversary. "Wine tasting might happen over the summer,” he said. “More dinner and lunch specials. We want it to be great."
The Great Impasta will still be serving up its traditional and not-so-traditional plates of pasta for the rest of the year, as well as live jazz every Wednesday and Thursday night from 6-9 p.m. As always, Don Heitler, a solo keyboardist, will be playing on Wednesdays. On Thursdays, the Kevin Turner Trio will entertain the restaurant's crowd.
The Great Impasta is located at 114 W. Church St. in downtown Champaign.
Comments (6)
Tuesday, March 4, 2008 1:56 PM
sweet jesus i hope they relocate!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008 2:31 PM
What's the reason for the move/closure? Are they tearing that building down, too?
Tuesday, March 4, 2008 2:38 PM
A bank bought the building from the owner. They "made him an offer he couldn't refuse."
Tuesday, March 4, 2008 2:44 PM
I'm terribly sad to hear about The Great Impasta.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008 5:23 PM
Didn't the building used to be a bank? Or am I thinking of the building next door that was torn down? Maybe they both were banks.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008 4:39 PM
it was such a great place to work. i miss it every day. i hope harold finds what he wants to do, even if its just stay at home, hang out with his kids, and listen to prince.