Owner Evan Mancini stands Tuesday in Mancini’s Italian Deli at 5 Park St. in Lewiston. He will open the strictly carryout and delivery operation Wednesday from 11 a.m. and to 8 p.m. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

LEWISTON — A one-of-a-kind eatery is opening Wednesday at 5 Park St., just yards from the intersection with Main Street around the corner from Blue Jay Coffee.

Entrepreneur and chef Evan Mancini is opening what he calls an Italian microdeli, a strictly carryout and delivery operation featuring about two dozen sandwiches and pasta dishes, and a line of desserts.

Tucked into a small space and nicely laid out, Mancini’s Italian Deli gives customers access to the counter and deli case to see what’s fresh.

Fresh is a large part of Mancini’s vision with deep ties to Italy, specifically the Umbria region bordering Tuscany in the central part of the county. Think pork (porchetta), truffles oil and wine — all associated with Umbria.

Mancini’s Italian Deli, seen Tuesday at 5 Park St. in Lewiston, will open Wednesday. The strictly carryout and delivery eatery offers fresh pasta, specialty sandwiches on house-baked bread and house-made desserts. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

But this is Maine, and fresh is the other emphasis for the young chef who said he is committed to sourcing as much as he can from local and regional farms and suppliers — Maine Grains, Misty Brook Farm, Crooked Face Creamery and others.

Pasta dishes include bolognese, gnocchi and pesto, a truffle mac and a truffle lasagna, all priced between $16 and $18. Mancini’s offers a panzanella Caesar or a hot honey burrata. Sandwiches, served on house-baked schiacciata, a thinner, crispier version of focaccia with a soft center, range from $13 to $18.

There are other offerings such as a large antipasto and house-made desserts such as panna cotta and tiramisu, a burnt Basque cheesecake.

Mancini’s will offer premium meats and cheeses by the pound in the deli case, fresh pasta and sauces, and will likely change and grow as it gets going.

Jason McFarland, left, and Rob Mancini laugh together Tuesday while working at Mancini’s Italian Deli at 5 Park St. in Lewiston. “I’m the bread maker and he is the pasta maker,” Mancini, the father of deli owner Evan Mancini, said. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Inspiration for the concept and the dishes come from Evan Mancini’s late grandfather, Robert Mancini, a first-generation Italian, and a series of handwritten cookbooks he authored in the late 1980s. Evan’s father, Rob Mancini, was working side-by-side with his son Tuesday.

Evan Mancini said that while there are plenty of tributes to his grandparents in the deli, he could not have done this without the love and support of his parents, Rob and Lisa Mancini, and his brother, Ganan, who have all pitched in to make his dream a reality.

“At the core of Mancini’s is our commitment to providing scratch-made products crafted by our family, to serve yours,” Mancini said.

Delivery will be available locally to start and may expand to companies such as DoorDash in the future.

Mancini’s opens Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will have the same hours Wednesday through Saturday moving forward.

Family pictures of deli owner Evan Mancini hang on the walls Tuesday at Mancini’s Italian Deli, 5 Park St. in Lewiston. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal