Gina's Cucina Siciliana now has permanent signage at 640 Center Point Way in Kentlands, but the restaurant has not announced an opening date. The sign is a visible update at the former Cinco de Mayo space, not confirmation that the restaurant is ready to open.
The signage installation was reported Saturday, November 7, 2026, by The MoCo Show, which has been tracking the restaurant's slow march toward opening throughout the year. Cinco de Mayo, the Mexican restaurant that previously occupied the Kentlands storefront, closed in September 2025, clearing the way for the new concept to take over the space.
The planned menu draws on Sicilian cooking, including recipes from Agrigento and Messina, according to the MoCo Show's October coverage. Reported offerings include arancini, pasta dishes, Sicilian pizza and focaccia.
A Restaurant Built Around a Grandmother's Kitchen
The family’s effort to preserve Gina’s cooking began after she died in 2014. Her son prepared more than 45 of her recipes to help his daughters connect with their grandmother, according to the MoCo Show.
That son is Dan Mollura, founder and CEO of Gina's Cucina Siciliana. A physician and former radiologist at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, he also founded RAD-AID International, which he led for 18 years.
Mollura will be joined by Amulya Puttaraju, a Cornell University School of Hotel Administration graduate with restaurant and hospitality management experience in the DMV, as chief operating officer. Jeffrey Webb, who trained in Italy and has more than 25 years of experience as a chef and restaurant operator, will be culinary director, overseeing kitchen operations and helping with staff training and menu development.
Licensing Progress, But No Firm Opening Date
Gina's Cucina Siciliana was scheduled for a Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services liquor license hearing on October 1. As of late August, it had not announced an opening date; the new signage has not supplied one.
County approvals before opening
Montgomery County requires a Food Service Facility License before a restaurant opens and also requires a Use & Occupancy Permit through its Department of Permitting Services, according to the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services. The food-service license is separate from an alcohol license; these general requirements do not establish Gina's current permit status or opening date. The county guidance cited here does not confirm whether records for 640 Center Point Way are available or whether the restaurant has obtained the required approvals.
Job listings offer different timelines but do not establish a confirmed opening date. Culinary Agents described the restaurant as set to open at the end of 2026, while a Bandana listing described it as under construction and set to open “this Fall.”
The Bandana listing also described the restaurant as gluten-free, citing techniques it called “senza glutine,” drawn from experience in Italy and Sicily. The restaurant has not announced a firm opening date.
