Pitillo and fellow Osteria 166 co-owner Ed Gurbacki have been planning the new business venture since the state legalized marijuana in 2021.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — In 2001, Nick Pitillo was arrested for smoking a joint outside the Beacon Theatre on Broadway in New York City on his way to see an Allman Brothers Band show.
“I sparked a bowl on this crowded street,” Pitillo said during a recent interview. “A guy said, ‘Watch out, there’s cops up ahead.’ So I put it in my pocket and 30 seconds later, I was handcuffed to a stop sign in my Allman Brothers T-shirt.”
Pitillo never made it to the concert.