Sep 20, 2015 5 min read

Although he was an experienced chef, John DeFede hadn’t cooked up a plan to own a restaurant.

“I had been working here for two years when Mark was looking to sell,” he said, referring to Mark Kennison Jr., owner of Upper Crust Italian Bistro – and his boss. “I had always been in the restaurant business and thought I might like to own, but it was never a hard thought.

“This was a time and opportunity thing.”

Upper Crust went on the market in May and DeFede and his wife, Michele, decided to wrest the opportunity. They made a bid on the downtown Washington restaurant and a sale was consummated.

John DeFede thus went from chef to chef/chief at 201 S. Main St. He and Michele are now in charge of a five-year-old bistro that is a popular lunchtime destination, often identified by its wood-fired pizzas, pasta dishes and made-from-scratch desserts.

The DeFedes have made changes over the past four months – expanding the menu, tweaking the hours, adding delivery. But they have essentially stayed true to the roots established by Kennison, who is renovating the old Ernie’s Freestyle into Presidents Pub on North Main.

“There were things we wanted to do differently, but people liked a lot of what we were doing,” John said. “We didn’t change the pizzas. You don’t fix anything that isn’t broken.”

They are a young couple living in Washington, with local ties lengthier than that. John, 30, is a 2003 graduate of Washington High School. Michele, 26, grew up in Prosperity and is a McGuffey alum.

Both have a formidable work ethic. John remains a chef and frequently runs the place. He shares catering operations with Michele, who is in charge of many up-front operations. She also has another job: admissions development director at Haven Crest Nursing Center in Monongahela.

Being a chef is almost a DeFede family tradition. One of John’s grandfathers and an uncle practiced that vocation. John started in his teens, cooking at Primo when it was on South Main – and before it moved to Route 19 in North Strabane. He then worked for several years at restaurants in New York City before returning to Washington County.

This is the first business the couple has owned, and while the interior is essentially the same, this is not the same restaurant that had been functioning at the intersection of South Main and East Maiden.

The DeFedes have added pasta selections and other entrees, plus some smaller dishes. Restaurant hours are different as well. The place opens at 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday and closes at 3 p.m. Monday; 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It is shut down on Sunday.

The DeFedes also forged a drive-sharing agreement with Mr. Gyros a few doors down. Upper Crust delivers any item on its menu.

“We get deliveries out faster,” he explained. “People should have less of a wait and drivers get a chance to make extra money on tips from two stores instead of one. That benefits both businesses.”

The new Upper Crust owners have continued the catering service Kennison established, but John said that is not the highest priority.

“We are not pushing the catering hard now,” he said. “Our focus is more on everything in here. If someone calls (for catering), we won’t say no, but we’re trying to set a foundation now.”

Doing so is paramount, for there is a lot of competition for the dining dollar – especially in the South Main-Maiden area, Upper Crust is established, but it is vying with Mr. Gyros, Peppino’s, Vocelli Pizza, Chicco Baccello and the recently opened Main St. Hot Dogs.

John DeFede not only doesn’t mind the culinary battle, he embraces it.

“The more businesses that are open, the better it is for everyone,” he said. “You want more people coming to this area of town, trying different places.”

Some diners, he pointed out, will make a purchase across the street at Washington Winery and A&M Wine and Beer Supplies, then carry a bottle into Upper Crust, which does not have a liquor license but allows alcohol to be brought in.

Upper Crust has a staff of about 12, most of them full time. They include John’s sister, Amber, a front manager, and five chefs. Three of the five, distinctively, are women.

“It used to be mostly guys in the kitchen,” John said, “but now there are more and more women.”

He is encouraged by how the first few months have gone and has a long-range plan of opening a second location. But for now, his goal is simple:

“Bring good food to people, satisfy those who have been happy with us . . . Try to make them happier, actually.”