BURRILLVILLE – Leonard Mello, owner of Tavolo Wine Bar & Tuscan Grille, with locations in Smithfield, Providence and Warwick, has taken over management of the Waterfall Cafe in Harrisville, also purchasing the property at 35 East Ave. for $945,000.
Mello applied for a transfer of restaurant licenses last month under the name Red Squadron Group, LLC. A second LLC for which Mello also serves as manager and agent, Blue Squadron Group, now owns the 6,050-square-foot building that holds the Harrisville restaurant, along with additional retail space.
Opened in 2011 by Foster resident Synthia Vinson, Waterfall Cafe has since served up American fare, along with a wide selection of martinis, from a space overlooking the Harrisville Dam. The property, meanwhile, was purchased from prior owners Bruce & Judith Monfils in 2010 by “Waterfall Realty,” for $415,000. That LLC is owned by Giovani Calapai of Glendale, according to records in the state database.
In a sale on Tuesday, Oct. 11, the half acre East Avenue lot transferred from Waterfall Realty to Blue Squadron for $945,000, according to town property records.
Mello, a Glocester resident, opened the first location in what is now the Tavolo chain in Smithfield with his wife Sherri in 2014. Pairing Italian cuisine with an extensive list of wine and beer, the Mellos earned a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2015 and 2016 at the Smithfield restaurant. Both had previously worked as CPAs.
In 2016, they expanded to Providence with a location in Federal Hill, and in 2019, the business again expanded – this time to Warwick.
In Burrillville, Mello will continue to operate as the Waterfall Cafe, according to the application for licensing filed with the town clerk.
Lawyers on behalf of one vendor, Horizon Beverage, filed an objection to the transfer, citing an outstanding bill of $996 incurred by Waterfall prior to the proposed changes. The issue has since been resolved, with the objection withdrawn.
Town councilors unanimously approved the license transfer, subject to satisfaction of all requirements.
