Forno Vecchio is One Year Old

, one of Pleasanton’s newest eateries will be celebrating its one-year anniversary in September, according to owners.

The two long-time Pleasanton families, the Halles’ and the Skillings, who integrated their talents in September 2010 to start Forno Vecchio, will soon begin their second year serving multi-regional Italian cuisine in the building that once housed the Pleasanton Bakery in the 1960s and 70s.

The Skillings and Halle partnership named their new restaurant for the building’s historical beginning in Pleasanton and their Italian roots, calling it Forno Vecchio for “old oven,” according to a press release.

Executive chef Nicole Skillings was born and raised in Pleasanton, attended local schools then went on to be trained at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and the Italian Culinary Institute in Calabria, Italy.

She brought home the October 2010 Bon Appetit-sponsored PPIE “Best Dessert Award” for her mint brownies one month after opening Forno Vecchio and has received excellent critiques from Diablo Magazine, Your Town, and Bay Area News Group, according to the release.

Skillings changes the menu slightly with the seasons to capture the essence of fresh, locally grown produce that is plentiful in the valley; however, she never waivers from her handmade fresh pastas, breads and desserts that Forno Vecchio is becoming known for. 

The restaurant itself offers a combination of indoor and “al fresco” patio dining that makes people feel a touch of Italy in downtown Pleasanton. The new wine and beer bar has added additional casual seating for those who might enjoy interacting with staff, the chef, and the wine steward, Bob Diana. 

 Several of the Skillings family members have incorporated old family recipes in the menus. Nicole’s grandfather, Bob Diana, selects all the wines served, many of which are from his nephew’s vineyards in the Plymouth appellation.

Forno Vecchio is planning a month-long celebration to mark the start of its second year serving Pleasanton and the Tri-Valley.

Festivities will include pre-fixe wine dinners with the wine makers, live music on the patio, tasting events, drawings, and a special Saturday lunch and cooking demonstrations with the chef, to name a few of the planned events.

Check the website for a detailed description of the upcoming events.