When Nathan Cooperman opened the doors to his Warren pizzeria on Main Street in May, the concept was simple: offer great food, a lively atmosphere and a place to gather friends and family to watch New England sports. But the 22-year-old hopes that "Porta Via" becomes more than just another pizza shop in town.

A few days before opening the restaurant, Cooperman and his team sampled each menu and bar item and reflected on what it took to get to that moment.

Cooperman thought back on his time working at "Spaghetti Lane" — the Italian restaurant in Barrington where his stepfather Michael St. Angelo is owner and head chef — and the gradual growth of his management skills over more than five years.

“Once we got going, I was having a great time, and it was a lot of fun. Ever since day one, it's been like a blur,” Cooperman said. 

Cooperman, who graduated from Barrington High School in 2022 and Ithaca College this past spring weeks before the pizzeria opened, wants customers to help shape their experience at Porta Via. Community input has been an extremely helpful tool, according to Cooperman.

“I've gotten such great feedback from everyone around me and we've made so many changes in these first few weeks,” he added.

Porta Via head chef Rob Icaza considered his more than 28 years of experience in the kitchen and passion for making traditional New York-style pizza just that much better by adding innovative ingredients.

Icaza, who started making New York-style when he was 15, said he has worked in many restaurants and has experimented with many different styles of pizza.

“Traditional pizzas are awesome, but I love taking it up another notch and making a traditional pizza just that much better, like by adding candied jalapeños to a buffalo chicken pizza,” Icaza said. “I'm passionate about making pizza and take pride in my work.”

The Porta Via menu also includes classic slices, Italian-style subs, salads and unique cocktails such as the "Maye Mule," a take on the Moscow Mule, featuring blueberry syrup, vodka and ginger beer.

While Porta Via translates to “takeout” in Italian, Cooperman and his team emphasized that they want people to come in and enjoy themselves, whether that means stopping in for a slice or to watch a game with the family.

The sports bar atmosphere at Porta Via was influenced by St. Angelo, who was looking for someone eager to take on a challenge of opening a pizza place.

After years of learning from his stepfather at Spaghetti Lane, Cooperman took the job and made the jump immediately after graduating from college with a degree in sports media. Though he previously toiled in the rear of the business, he was gradually drawn to the front end.

“I loved working in the kitchen, but the more I was in there, the more I learned about the management side of it,” Cooperman said. “I kind of never really imagined this is the route I would take, but I feel like that's how life goes.”

A few doors down from Porta Via is "Sorelle Off the Lane,” another Italian restaurant run by St. Angelo and Mary Beth Ryder, Cooperman’s mother.

“It is really cool having my family right down the road, Just about 1,000 feet is Sorelle, and then five minutes into Barrington is Spaghetti Lane,” Cooperman said. “I'm so thankful for my parents giving me this opportunity because I would not have been able to do this without them.”

A restaurateur, for the moment at least, Cooperman’s interest in sports is reflected in the decor of Porta Via, with signed uniforms from some of his favorite athletes lining the walls. While he has tried to show it's a place for all sports fans, the die-hard Patriots fan said his favorite jersey belongs to former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.

The walls also hold some Barrington High School football history, with both a championship plaque and a Barrington Times article featuring Cooperman and his former teammates, who he said often stop in for pizza and drinks.

Cooperman said he aimed to build a staff that shares the same familial energy that his parents instilled in his experience at Spaghetti Lane.

Gavin Hyland, Porta Via’s assistant manager, said the staff in both the kitchen and front of house embody these attributes more and more each day.

Hyland previously worked with Cooperman, his cousin, at Spaghetti Lane, where he said he learned the importance of effective communication.

“You can feel that energy of an actual team versus people working individually, so, whether related by blood or not, I feel like it's important that everyone feels welcome to be in this community of Porta Via,” Hyland said. “I'm excited to keep growing in my role, for Nathan to keep growing his role, and for us to keep growing the business.”

While many businesses on Main Street have opened and closed over the recent years, Porta Via seeks to become a lasting gathering place for the community, according to Hyland. With plans to expand its hours, menu and live music events, the aim is to join the vibrant and growing nightlife scene in town.

“I feel like we really see a wide variety of the people of Warren in here, and it's nice to see kind of the wide range of that community,” Hyland said. “At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you're 95 years old or five years old. People like good pizza and a good space to hang out and I think that's something we can provide to everyone.”