A local restaurant owner is bringing another piece of his family’s history to Marshall University with the opening of his second restaurant on campus.
Ralph Hagy, owner of La Famiglia in the Memorial Student Center and on 6th Avenue, will open Via Lombarda, a Mediterranean market, in the new Cybersecurity Institute set to open in the fall of 2026.
Unlike La Famiglia, Via Lombarda will offer take-home ingredients for customers to cook themselves. The ingredients, primarily imported from Italy, include meats, cheeses, peppers and wines, along with La Famiglia’s signature hot sauce, olive oil and dressings.
Jordan Hagy, Ralph’s son and co-owner of the restaurants, said Via Lombarda will bring to life the original concept for La Famiglia.
“When we first opened up La Famiglia in 2011, we really had the concept of being a deli market,” Jordan said. “So, we thought we would be a lunchtime place where people would come in and buy these imported goods, but that quickly turned into the La Famiglia that we know, which is a full service, sit-down restaurant.”
While Via Lombarda will still provide some of La Famiglia’s restaurant-style options, Jordan said the focus will be on showcasing the Italian imported products; new to the Hagy family’s menu will be Italian espressos and coffees, gelatos and an assortment of pastries, which Jordan said are the perfect fit for those looking for simple, quick options.
Via Lombarda will also offer fresh and frozen meals, such as meatballs or lasagna, for those stopping by in the evening in search of an easy dinner to fix at home, Jordan added.
Overall, Jordan said the family wants locals to have the opportunity to try the authentic food of their heritage.
“I think you have to acknowledge your roots, and that was in-hand with what we’re trying to provide,” Jordan said. “I think there’s a whole American view of the culinary experience you get in Italy, and we wanted folks to experience the side of Italy they may not have experienced before.”
The market’s namesake comes from the street Ralph’s grandparents, the first in the family to migrate to America, lived on. Via Lombarda – which translates to Lombarda Way – is in Petilia Policastro, Calabria, Italy, from where many of the market’s ingredients will be imported.
Although his grandparents moved to West Virginia for the railroad industry, their daughter Vincenziana Ieardi, Ralph’s mother, is who Jordan named the family’s “matriarch of the kitchen.”
“We went through a different list of names, and I think that [Via Lombarda] was the last one that came to us,” Jordan said. “We thought it was perfect because it tells the story of where we came from – it all started on Via Lombarda, and here we are today.”
Jordan said the Hagy family is happy to share a piece of their family history with the Marshall community because of their love for the university.
“We really love the partnership that we have right now, and we see the direction President Smith is going with the university and the innovation district, so we saw this as an opportunity,” Jordan said. “We’re a big Marshall family, so we were more than willing to jump in and try something new with them.”
