Lee — appetito Pizza & Gelato co-owner Rebecca Clerget confirmed to The Berkshire Edge that the 45-seat casual Italian eatery on Lee’s Main Street sold to seasoned restaurateur Josh Irwin earlier this month. Irwin, a Stockbridge resident, is a co-owner of Mooncloud and Juju’s establishments in Great Barrington.
Opened in May 2024 by Clerget and her husband Gilbert Clerget after longtime Lee staple Timothy’s closed, appetito’s doors shuttered on October 7.
The couple also own Café Triskele, a French-inspired dining option down the street that will not be affected by the sale that includes appetito’s fixtures, furnishings, and goodwill but not the restaurant name. The restaurant held alcohol and entertainment licenses and offered seasonal pizza and gelato. Its listing price at the time of the transaction was $95,000.
According to Rebecca Clerget, Irwin is planning a new idea for the space. “I’m excited for it—I think it will be a really cool concept,” she said but declined to reveal the new theme.
After just a year and a half in the appetito site, the Clergets’ decision to call it “quits” was a difficult one. They have years of experience in the Washington, D.C., restaurant industry.
“We were just really overextended,” Rebecca Clerget said. “We learned a lot, and we learned that with two kids and two businesses, it was just too much.”
She voiced appreciation for appetito’s loyal fans as well as the “hard work that the [restaurant] team did.” The restaurant’s former employees were incorporated into the Café Triskele staff, and the immigration visa for its pizza chef expired at the time of closing.
“We’re proud of what we did with the space and bringing new energy to that part of town,” Rebecca Clerget said. “We’re still here, and come and see us at Café Triskele and support the new business in Lee.”
Attempts to contact Irwin were not returned by press time.
