Details revealed for new Lords Place late-night bar and restaurant

From a long chain of bakers on his mother's side of the family, becoming a culinary wizard was something of a natural progression for the food-surrounded Francesco Zarrella.

But eventually opening Lucetta Dining doors on Lords Place was always in the pipeline after selling his 13-year Sydney business, Panzerotti Bar & Bistro, and relocating to Orange in 2019 with his wife and their two daughters.

"We didn't move to Orange to not do it all again, but we wanted to set up our life here first before diving back into business, get our house here renovated and the kids' schooling sorted," Mr Zarrella said.

"So, we were always looking for the right space, but there wasn't any timeline or rush with it, even though it can be difficult working for someone else when you've had your own place for so long before.

"But when we saw the [for sale] sign on Lords Place, we got curious and saw the space had huge potential for a new business.

"Now, we're really rolling and hopeful for an autumn opening date."

Working at the Union Bank for the past two years alongside head chef, Dom Aboud, Mr Zarrella is looking forward to his new space being "an intimate setting" in terms of capacity.

Lucetta Dining will cater for roughly 32 people with the potential for two seating sessions per evening.

Running each week from Tuesday to Saturday, the possibility of lunch sessions is also on the cards for Thursday to Saturday.

With a "secret menu" set to change as deemed fit by the head chef, Mr Zarrella says it will, however, always remain dynamic - featuring both contemporary Italian food and some of the best wines.

"It'll be 'new Italian' and not the Italian that people are used to, it'll be something most people probably haven't seen before," he said.

"It's a contemporary spin on what we grew up with and everything will be homemade, all in house, from breads and pastas to cheeses and butter.

"But it's a place where it's cool and fun, exciting and different, and we'll be really calm in our approach where people can try whatever dish they like or share as much as they want."

With "incredible charcuterie ranges" as well, Mr Zarrella says the restaurant is a space where people will want to book ahead of time and "get comfy" for a decent 90-minutes of all-things food.

"There'll be so much going on, and we're going to give customers the best of the best," he said.

"So, be prepared to eat."

The 211-213 Lords Place site was former home to a hairdressing salon, with Blowes Real Estate advertising the two-storey building for sale under the title "Unloved, Untouched, Unrestored" on March 22, 2022.

It was later bought by Mr Zarrella for $880,000 on October 12, 2023.

Gutting the 109 square metres of land since January, 2024, renovations and revamping have demanded a mix of hard work, grit and determination.

But the site's new honcho says the extensive overhaul has been worth it - particularly with two special sets of eyes overseeing its big transformation during the past few months.

"We're starting to do all of the fun stuff now and it'll be such a beautiful space, but it's definitely been a lot of work," he said.

"It was really old and run-down, and vacant upstairs for I don't know how long, but the big key for us was always going to be the girls [our daughters], who've been really involved, too.

"In Italian, 'Lucetta' means 'little light', but it also merges the names of our two young kids, Lucy (11) and Juliette (7).

"They're the light of my life, as well; and they're the reason behind why I do anything."

Growing up in Abbotsford - an inner west Sydney suburb - Mr Zarrella said his childhood was spent "constantly surrounded by food" with droves of Italian relatives at every turn.

Which is why Orange's upcoming Lucetta Dining space will be filled with premium access to family-owned goods, with items sourced from food products supplier, Quality Centre, to high-quality cheese factory, La Stella Latticini.

With a mother from Puglia and a father from Napoli, Mr Zarrella says his mum always made food "you couldn't wait to eat" with a dad who had a special knack for creating "something successful out of nothing".

It stands to reason why the chef wholeheartedly credits his culinary passion to both his immediate and extended family members.

"I didn't think about [becoming a chef], it was just something I loved doing and nothing else was like it," he said.

"It started when I was young, with my grandmother and everyone else cooking in the family, whether they were making salamis or cakes or some kind of marmalade.

"You'd hear 'what are you making' or 'where'd you get those oranges', because we were always surrounded by food and eating.

"I've just enjoyed every bit of it, for as long as I can remember.

"Now, I get to be excited about new food and a new venture; all over again."