White Plains resident Alessandro Crocco opened Papi restaurant in late January on Bank Street in the city, where he moved to from Italy in 2011. “I fell in love with the city and what it had to offer,” Crocco recalled last week. “I chose the restaurant business because I like to be an ambassador of my own culture.”

A ribbon cutting ceremony for the eatery was held on Feb. 6. Crocco said he chose to locate Papi on Bank Street because it is close to the White Plains Metro-North station and the restaurant offers a quick and affordable meal to commuters.