Weiss said Colino’s is not using Amighetti’s bread or sauce recipes.

Amighetti’s on the Hill had operated at the corner of Wilson and Marconi avenues since 1921. It became an institution on the Hill — St. Louis’ famous Italian neighborhood — beloved for its Amighetti Special sandwich, among other items.

Dominic Consolino bought the deli in 2014. In 2016, Favazza purchased the rights to the Amighetti’s brand. This meant that Favazza and Consolino were locked into a licensing agreement regarding the Amighetti name and signature recipes.

Favazza also owns and operates Amighetti’s in Rock Hill.

He said the trouble started in late 2016, a few months after he’d taken over the Amighetti brand. He wanted to revamp the menu, and told Consolino so, but the changes were never made at Amighetti’s on the Hill. He suggested a new music playlist for the restaurant, but it was never played. He wanted to switch over to toasting hot sandwiches rather than microwaving them, but that change didn’t happen either. The straw that broke the camel’s back was a pepperoncini stem: Favazza told Consolino to start cutting the stems off before putting the peppers on the signature Amighetti Special sandwich. Consolino left the stems on.