Anthony Gentile: Building a Legacy with Hard Work, Family, and True Hospitality

For Anthony Gentile, the family business wasn’t just a weekend chore or a future plan — it was home. Born and raised in a duplex above the original Café Gentile on Chabanel, his earliest memories are of slipping downstairs straight into the heartbeat of the kitchen, where food, laughter, and tradition were always simmering.

At the center of it all was his mother, Teresa — a passionate cook and master of the grill — who made Sundays sacred with her space, basil, and family feasts. “Even when I started going out, nothing compared to home,” Anthony recalls. “We had something special.”

That special something soon became a signature: his mother’s famous chicken cutlets. Originally made for his father Antonio and older brother Paolo, the crispy, breaded cutlets quickly earned a cult following. When customer demand outpaced their small kitchen, the family began preparing trays in their home, eventually building a larger kitchen to keep up — an early sign that Gentile’s blend of warmth and tradition was destined for more than just their neighborhood café.

Anthony started working at Chabanel as soon as he could reach the counter — literally growing up behind it. While his parents eventually retired, his brother Paolo and sister-in-law Lucy now run the original location with their two sons, Anthony Paul and Joseph, continuing the family line. Anthony, the youngest of the siblings, has always brought an ambitious spark to the Gentile story.

In 2014, he took a bold leap and opened something entirely different: Scarlet Exclusive in Old Montreal — a fine dining restaurant by day that transformed into a lively party destination by night. It was his first solo venture, and it taught him the highs and lows of the industry fast. “Scarlet gave me confidence,” he says. “I was working there and at Chabanel at the same time. It taught me how to move quickly and trust myself.”

In 2016, riding the momentum and his growing vision, Anthony opened Café Gentile Westmount — the brand’s first full-service restaurant offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It marked a new era for Gentile: fast-casual Italian rooted in old-school values but designed for a new generation.

Then came Gentile Pizza Parlour in 2020, launched during the height of the pandemic. “Restaurants were shutting down — it was hell,” he admits. “But take-out pizza saved us.” The project tapped into his lifelong love of New York–style pizza — an obsession shaped by family ties in Philadelphia and New Jersey — and quickly became a hit. “Gentile Pizza is the soulful little sister of the brand,” Anthony says. “It’s nostalgic, comforting, and made with love.”

Now, in fall 2025, the Gentile family is coming full circle with the opening of a third Café Gentile location in the West Island — where the family moved in the mid-80s and still lives today. The new space on Boulevard des Sources will be a hybrid: coffee shop, restaurant, and bar under one roof, with an 80-seat dining room and a relaxed, in-and-out coffee vibe. “I grew up in the West Island. There’s harmony in building something where my roots are,” Anthony says.

Today, the Gentile family remains deeply involved. Anthony leads the expansion — from brand direction to catering, menus, merch, and new locations. Paolo runs the original on Chabanel with his family, and their sister Ana Maria manages operations at Westmount. “My nephews, Anthony Paul and Joseph, are working hard too,” he adds. “Some days are tough, some are beautiful. That’s family. That’s business. But we’re blessed with a strong nucleus — and we want to make them proud.”

From Ignazio Gentile opening Café Gentile in 1959, to a fourth generation stepping up, the journey has always been about more than just food. It’s about connection, heritage, and the joy of sharing something real. “We built our name on hard work, respect, and community,” Anthony says. “And we’re just getting started.”

Written by Élise Tastet
Photography by Alison Slattery