The Passion is gone in Fort Mill: After 8 years, bistro moves to Charlotte

Chef Luca Annunziata and his wife Jessica Annunziata set out to prove that fine dining has a place here.

Passion8 Bistro first opened its doors on Oct. 18, 2006, in the yellow house behind NarroWay Theater and Conference Center on Highway 51 in Fort Mill. The couple painted and remodeled the interior themselves to create the warm, cozy atmosphere the restaurant has become known for, Annunziata said.

“There was lots of love we brought into this place,” he said.

The couple is closing their Fort Mill location on Oct. 8 and reopening Passion8 Bistro on Elizabeth Avenue in Charlotte 10 days later, the restaurant’s eight-year anniversary, Luca Annunziata said.

“It’s going to be bittersweet leaving,” he said. “This is where we started; It’s where we made a brand.”

Coming to Fort Mill was a risk, the chef said.

The house that became the place where local ingredients took the spotlight sits in an area still referred to as ‘Fort Vegas” because of the gaming machine venues that once proliferated the area. That section of Fort Mill, between Pineville, N.C., and Carowinds Boulevard, still vexes developers and public planners trying to bring it up to par with the rest of Fort Mill’s upscale development.

“We built this location practically with our own hands,” Jessica Annunziata said. “A lot of love, blood, sweat and tears went into making it a restaurant.”

The house was at one time a brothel and a poker room before it became a fried chicken joint, said Tori Bagdoian, Passion8 assistant general manager.

“There is a lot of history in this place,” she said.

Luca Annunziata said they set out to change the view of the little area off Highway 21 and bring fine dining to Fort Mill.

“People never took us seriously here,” he said.

Annunziata, originally from Sorrento, Italy – Jessica is from Long Island, N.Y. – said one of his first experiences opening the restaurant in Fort Mill almost made him doubt they could succeed in bringing their concept to Fort Mill, or anywhere in the South.

One week before Passion8 opened, Luca Annunziata said a PepsiCo sales representative came to fulfill an order for the soda gun behind the restaurant’s bar. When his request did not include Mountain Dew, Annunziata said the sales rep told them they would never make it here.

Passion8 never has served Mountain Dew, the chef said.

“Mountain Dew didn’t fit with what our fine dining concept was,” Annunziata said.

That idea, he said, is “upscale fine dining with an emphasis on local products. It’s what we still do today and what we’re going to do at the new Passion8.”

Annunziata said he will continue getting ingredients from local farmers, including in Fort Mill.

He said he and Jessica proved their doubters wrong. Passion8 grew into a highly recognized stop for both tourists and locals, with reviews on TripAdvisor and Opentable.

“It doesn’t matter where you’re located if you have great service, great food and ambiance and make memories when people sit down,” Luca Annunziata said.

“People trusted us. It’s not just about fried chicken and Mountain Dew. They were ready for something sophisticated and elegant.”

For Juan Valencia and his wife Liz Ciardi, who moved to Tega Cay in 2001, Passion8 has been their place for anniversaries, birthday parties and dinner dates for seven years.

“That place has become our second home,” Valencia said. “Both Jessica and Luca have become close friends of ours. They’re wonderful, loving people. We’re very sad to see them leave Fort Mill.”

Valencia, who checked in at Passion8 on the Foursquare app so often he earned the title “Mayor of Passion8,” said they will follow the Annunziatas to Charlotte.

“I know the move is the right thing for them to do and I know they are going to be very successful in Charlotte,” he said. “Luca and Jessica figured out at a young age what most of us don’t figure out until we’re older – you never know when you’re going to make memories.”

While the emphasis on local products and fine dining will remain, the new Passion8 will take a more modernized approach, Annunziata said.

Exposed brick will line the walls of three separate dining rooms. An open kitchen and chef’s table will ensure diners are close to the action as their meals are prepared, Bagdoian said.

“You get the whole experience,” Annunziata said.

The move has been in the works for a few years, Annunziata said.

“We always wanted to move – we needed to find the right location and time,” he said.

The bigger space, which the Annunziatas bought last June, will allow Passion8 to host more events, will seat 125 diners – compared to 48 in the Fort Mill location – and allow the restaurant to expand its catering business, Bagdoian said.

“We’re taking what we’re doing to a different level,” she said.

Though the process has been stressful, Annunziata said he is looking forward to the change.

“I’m ready to work in a kitchen comfortably,” he said. “The fun part is when I’m cooking and listening to the crowd in the dining room and the chefs cooking.”

Though Passion8 is leaving, Luca Annunziata said Fort Mill craves fine dining.

“We proved it by being here eight years,” he said. “There are a lot of foodies here. Fort Mill is ready for the next level.”

To Jessica Annunziata, the bistro has been a success no matter what happens next.

“We created something from nothing,” she said.

“All the odds were stacked against us. When you believe in your dream, it comes to fruition. It’s a wonderful gift.”