La Parmigiana Restaurant In Southampton Village Listed For Sale, Considering A New Location

In 1972, Celestino Gambino left Palmero, Italy, seven children in hand, in pursuit of the gleaming American Dream. Speaking minimal English and without any culinary experience, he began working at his brother’s restaurant, Baby Moon in Westhampton Beach.

Two years later, in 1974, he opened his own family-style Italian restaurant on Hampton Road in the heart of Southampton Village, La Parmigiana. Mr. Gambino died in 2010 at the age of 73, but his legacy has survived in his children, who co-own the restaurant.

But that may no longer be the case.

The building and lot that houses La Parmigiana, a staple of Southampton’s downtown for more than four decades, is for sale with an asking price of just under $7 million. The 7,700-square-foot lot, which includes the 5,494-square-foot building, is being sold by Wald Real Estate Associates.

La Parmigiana’s owners are “testing the waters” and do not have a set date by which they plan to close the village restaurant and move out, said Matthew Nesi, a salesperson for Wald Real Estate.

“But we’re real sellers, and if someone came in and gave us the offer we wanted, there would be a deal to have,” he added, noting that the owners were looking “for a lifestyle change.” He denied that economic burden played a part in the decision to sell.

While there are no immediate plans for relocation, “the main goal right now is to continue running the restaurant elsewhere,” Mr. Nesi said. “While the iconic restaurant is being listed for sale, the family is not saying goodbye to the Hamptons.”

La Parmigiana will continue to operate under normal business hours while listed for sale.

The building is best suited for restaurant use, and any new tenants would “more than likely continue to use the space as a restaurant,” Mr. Nesi said.

La Parmagiana is the second mainstay Hamptons pizza shop operated under the same family umbrella to enter the market this summer.

Conca D’Oro, the Italian restaurant located on Sag Harbor’s Main Street, was sold in July to the owner of LT Burger. It was owned by Frankie Venesina and his parents, Tony and Lina Venesina; Ms. Venesina is the sister of Mr. Gambino.

And, like La Parmigiana, Conca D’Oro remained at the same location since the 1970s.