SYRACUSE — Laci’s Tapas Bar, which had closed after a decade of operation in December 2020, is again welcoming patrons to its location at 304 Hawley Ave. in Syracuse.

Dr. Brian Raphael and his wife, Michal Raphael, purchased the restaurant property and Laci’s brand from Laura Serway, the previous owner who is now serving as a consulting partner. 

“My role is about support. My role is nothing more than for support,” says Serway. She makes recommendations on various matters pertaining the restaurant. She participated in both the grand opening on July 29-30 and the soft opening the weekend before on July 22-23.

Both Raphael and Serway declined to disclose the acquisition price during an Aug 1 interview with CNYBJ at Laci’s Tapas Bar.

The Raphaels, along with their management team, Anthony Diruzzo and Fallon Moen, have reopened the eatery. 

Brian’s wife, Michal, is now the majority owner of Laci’s Tapas Bar, her husband tells CNYBJ. He described Michal as an “integral part” of the management team, noting that they’re a “team.”

“There is no doing this without both of us on board,” Brian Raphael adds. When asked if they’ll pursue a minority and/or women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) designation, Raphael said that’s still to be determined. 

To start, Laci’s Tapas Bar has 17 employees, which includes a mix of full and part-time workers, and about five of those employees had worked there before.

“Some had jobs at other places and just felt at home at Laci’s — and when we said we’re reopening and we’re going to keep it the same way, some environment, same mentality, it was a no-brainer for them and they came back,” says Raphael. 

Moen is Laci’s assistant manager, having worked for Serway at Laci’s for four years in the same capacity helping with events, reservations, and staff management. Diruzzo is new to Laci’s but has “extensive” knowledge and experience in the food industry and the restaurant business, according to Raphael. 

Laci’s Tapas Bar is open four nights a week, Wednesdays through Saturdays, to start.

Serway reiterated for CNYBJ that her reasons for closing Laci’s in December 2020 were mostly personal with some concerns about the pandemic. She defines herself as retired but remains active in a lot of endeavors. 

“I do what I do because I’m passionate about this community and I want to see us continue to do better and give more, and help out more,” Serway says.

“Felt like home”

Brian Raphael and wife, Michal, moved back the area about six years ago and discovered Laci’s soon after and “just fell in love with it right away,” he recalls. The family would go to Laci’s for anniversaries, birthdays, and graduation parties from graduate school. 

“Just felt like home here,” he says. 

The couple got to know Serway, and Raphael called it “heartbreaking” when she made the decision to close the establishment in December 2020. One day, Brian and Michal joked with Laura and asked what they needed to do to get Laci’s back open. That joke led to a few conversations and an eventual business sale. 

“We made sure that Laura was by our side to ensure that the DNA of Laci’s remained intact while we opened it up,” says Raphael. 

The conversations started in 2021 and resulted in the sale, which they completed in May of this year, according to Serway. 

Raphael is a Mohs surgeon and cosmetic dermatologist, dealing with skin cancers on the head and neck and reconstruction. Mohs is a specific procedure to remove skin cancers on the face. He started Empire Dermatology when he returned to the area in October 2016, which he says is now one of the largest dermatology practice groups in the state. 

When asked if it was always her intention to make sure Laci’s was placed with new ownership, Serway says, “Absolutely, to make sure it stayed open as a restaurant.”

 But she adds, “Now, I didn’t in my wildest dreams think that someone was going to want to buy my brand … You know, people just create their own thing.”

Serway says she was “honored” and felt very “humbled” by the Raphaels’ wishes to purchase Laci’s and couldn’t wait to call her former business partner Cindy Seymour to tell her “that someone actually bought our name.” 

Laci’s Giveback

Laci’s Tapas Bar has been known for its annual event called Laci’s Giveback, which provides a donation for a local charity. The 2022 event, held in August, raised $28,000 for the Kara Fund, per the Laci’s website.

The Kara Fund operates at 5827 Augsburg Circle East in the town of Manlius, per its Facebook page. The Kara Fund “strives to enhance the quality of life of children with life-threatening diseases, and their families, by providing material items, goods and services that offer physical and emotional support for them in their time of distress,” according to its website. 

The community chooses which nonprofit organization to support, according to Raphael. Voting took place on Laci’s social-media platforms and ended July 31, he adds.