With a desire to “reclaim” parts of the college community’s downtown area for the town’s adult population, entrepreneur Doug Clark and his wife, Kim, have opened the doors to their 106-seat restaurant Ciao Italia Ristorante + Mercato.

The restaurant’s name and likeness were licensed to Clark by acclaimed chef and cookbook author Mary Ann Esposito, a Durham resident since 1975 and host of the PBS show “Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito,” the longest-running television cooking show in the nation, having first aired in 1989. Esposito, who has written 13 cookbooks, has consulted with Clark, as well as Ciao Italia executive chef Jeanne Clements and general manager Deb Weeks, over the last year on menu items and overall atmosphere.