Giganti On Main brings big flavor and big personalities

Sometimes a restaurant’s name tells you everything you need to know. Other times, it takes a few minutes. When I first heard the name Giganti On Main, I assumed it was a nod to large portions, bold Italian flavors or perhaps some centuries-old Italian family recipe. Then I met the family behind the Gray restaurant. Ladies and gentlemen, these people are giants. Giganti is Giant in Italian. 

Nick DuPree stands 6-foot-6. Keith DuPree, the restaurant’s head chef and visionary, comes in at 6-foot-8. Dylan towers over them both at 6-foot-9. Then there is Ashley Roberson, who repeatedly referred to herself as the “little sister.” Ashley is 5-foot-11, but still taller than most people I know. Standing next to her brothers, however, she looks like she should qualify for a booster seat at the table. Suddenly, the name Giganti made perfect sense.

My visit to Giganti On Main was prompted by curiosity. Living between Macon and Gray, I often feel our neighbors to the northeast deserve a little more attention. 

Gray is only about twenty minutes from downtown Macon, yet many Macon residents rarely venture that way for dinner. They’re missing out. The atmosphere is exactly what Ashley and her brothers envisioned: casual, family-oriented and welcoming.

Located at 125 West Clinton Street, Giganti On Main occupies the former Ben’s Bent Axle location. The building was already familiar to locals as a gathering place, but the DuPree family had a vision of creating something entirely their own. 

Ironically, that vision wasn’t originally Italian food at all. According to Ashley, the dream started with her brother Keith, a chef whose original idea was to open a takeout hot dog restaurant. 

Life, however, had other plans. After helping launch Bent Axle Neighborhood Grill in 2021, before it eventually morphed into Ben’s Bent Axle and closed, the family was approached about taking over the space. 

As ideas bounced around the dinner table, Ashley drew upon her experience managing an Italian restaurant while Keith realized that making sauces from scratch was already firmly in his wheelhouse. The more they discussed it, the more the idea made sense. Gray didn’t really have an Italian restaurant, and the family didn’t want to become another copy-and-paste concept. They wanted to create something different. 

What I found especially refreshing is that the DuPrees are not Italian and aren’t pretending to be. They are an all-American Georgia family with a genuine appreciation for Italian cooking, hospitality and tradition. They proudly describe themselves as Italian-inspired.

That brings me to a confession. During my first visit, I was absolutely convinced they were making their pasta in-house. Then Ashley, during our phone call, politely informed me that while the sauces and dressings are absolutely made from scratch, the pasta is not. 

The fact that both my best friend and I immediately assumed it was homemade probably says more about the quality of the finished dish than it does about my investigative skills. I am choosing to call this a victory. Or at least a draw.

We started with the bruschetta, which featured tomatoes and basil atop crispy bread. It was fresh, light and flavorful. 

Personally, I would have loved a little more basil, but debating basil quantities is basically the Italian version of arguing about college football in Georgia. 

For my entrée, I ordered the fettuccini alfredo pesto with meatballs. The pesto, garlic and alfredo combination worked beautifully together, while the meatballs arrived swimming in pomodoro sauce. 

One detail immediately stood out. None of the meatballs were exactly the same size. I loved that. It was proof that somebody in the kitchen actually rolled them by hand instead of opening a freezer bag and calling it a day.

My dining companion ordered the fettuccini mushroom cream with blackened chicken. As someone who can be a bit of an Italian food snob herself, she immediately commented that the sauces tasted homemade. We both agreed the dishes could have been served a little warmer, but the flavors more than made up for it. 

When I later asked Ashley what dishes best represented the restaurant, she pointed to the chicken parmesan and alfredo, while her personal favorites included the pesto alfredo, eggplant parmesan and alla vodka with whole wheat penne. 

For first-time visitors, she recommends stopping by during happy hour, ordering an appetizer, trying the Caesar salad with its house-made dressing and pairing everything with a “Gigantas Martini,” their version of a dirty martini.

One of Ashley’s favorite parts of this journey has been watching her brother thrive. 

“I’m the proudest big sister watching Keith make this happen and seeing it become such a success,” she said. “I love seeing him in his element doing what he loves.” 

That pride comes through in every conversation. This isn’t simply a business venture. It’s a family dream that became reality.

Like every restaurant, Giganti On Main has faced challenges. Opening day brought point-of-sale issues that backed up the kitchen and tested everyone’s patience. Summer can be slow. Running a restaurant is never easy. 

Yet when Ashley talks about the future, she sounds optimistic. She believes restaurants like Giganti help bring people into Gray, benefiting neighboring businesses and encouraging additional investment throughout the community. 

She said she would love to see more specialty food businesses arrive, including markets focused on fresh produce and meats.

After spending time with the DuPrees, I walked away with one overwhelming impression. The food is good. The family is even better. But if the height requirement for working there gets any higher, I may need a ladder just to conduct my next interview. Until next time, Let’s Eat!

Billy Hennessey is the food columnist for The Melody. Write him an email at newlifenkiss@gmail.com.