Ken Vedrinski is 90 percent sure that his new Italian restaurant, Volpe, will open its doors on Rutledge Avenue in Charleston (SC) this Friday, March 21. The debut hinges on the city’s issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy, as well as a few other unavoidable necessities, but the longtime restaurateur is otherwise raring to go.

Sure, he’s aware he’s been quoted as saying he had zero interest in opening another restaurant. Vedrinski’s first Charleston restaurant, Trattoria Lucca, closed during the pandemic, following a 12-year run at the address which now belongs to Vern’s. His Isle of Palms, Coda del Pesce, is full almost every night, so he was tempted to leave it at that.