RochesterFirst

Chef turned antique dealer opens store in Brighton

BRIGHTON, N.Y. (WROC) — A new antique store is open at 1829 Monroe Avenue in Brighton: CP Antiques. Inside is an eclectic of Mid-Modern pieces, oil paintings, watches, knickknacks, furniture, and collectibles.

Carlo Peretti, the owner, keeps the store open Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m. – 5p.m., and is available by appointment for buys, sales, and trades.

He has been growing the collection for years, buying and selling as a hobby starting in 2015. But before he went into fine antiquing full-time, he was in fine dining:

“I was studying international hospitality and tourism management, and we had to work and study in a different country, and Rochester, New York was the one I chose,” Peretti said. He started this internship at the Old Toad on Alexander Street when he was 21 in 1995.

Peretti is from Harrogate, outside Leeds, in England, and was raised on his Italian grandmother’s cooking; he recalled bonding with her over making lasagna, which in turn grew his love of cooking.

And after his stint at the Old Toad, he went back home. Then he came back to Rochester, and built quite the resume:

He worked at places like The Rio, Remington’s, The Esperanza Mansion, The Wine and Culinary Center, and more; and that’s not to mention multiple reality TV show appearances.

“For the last eight to nine years I was at The Inn on Broadway/Tournedos Steakhouse, downtown, which is where I finished off my cooking career,” he said.

Fast forward to last May, Peretti realized it was time to slow down, and spend time with his wife and stepson. He found that the pandemic supercharged his side hustle that started in 2015:

“I used to buy and sell things on eBay, and then it developed into more into antiques and collectibles,” he said. He still does buy and sell on eBay.

It became his full-time gig. His shop on Brighton is a place for him to buy and sell his goods, store them, and anchor his business.

But even though it’s much slower, he says, it still scratches the itch.

“I guess you can take the chef out of the kitchen,” he said, laughing at the butcher knives and vintage cookware that can be found in the back of the shop. “There’s a similarity between this and cooking… It’s a new adrenaline that fuels my profession.”