CUCINO CAPRESE: A TASTE OF ITALY

By Robin A.Williams

In the blink of an eye, everything changed for Giuseppe Monaco and Derya, owners of Cucina Caprese, thanks to an unexpected surge of publicity. It all began when Yelp declared their Midway District restaurant to be a destination for some of the best pizzas in the U.S. and Canada, ranking their pies at number 88 on a list of 100. This recognition was a game-changer, as the only San Diego pizza kitchen to make the cut.

Within 24 hours, the couple was inundated with nearly 4,000 phone calls and 200 walk-in customers, hoping to get a taste of Cucina’s 18 varieties of Neapolitan-style pizzas. The excitement was overwhelming, and the couple found themselves ill-prepared to handle the sudden influx of business. As a result, the restaurant had to increase its staff from two servers and a bartender to a current staff of 17 people, with plans to hire even more.

The surge of attention didn’t stop there. Fox 5 San Diego invited Monaco into their studio for a segment on pizza-making, showcasing Cucina Caprese’s Yelp recognition. The combined publicity led to a 30 to 40 percent increase in overall business, and a 30 percent boost in pizza sales.

Cucina Caprese began as a catering company a decade ago, with the support of three transportable igloo-shaped Valoriani pizza ovens imported from Italy. Today, the restaurant’s menu includes a range of Italian cuisine, from pasta Bolognese to chicken Parmigiana, all cooked in a Caprese-style with olive oil and white wine instead of cream.

However, the star of the show remains the restaurant’s pizzas. Made with organic stoneground flour and cooked at 900 degrees, the dough rises for 72 hours, resulting in pizzas with crispy-thin crusts and puffy perimeters. Monaco uses fresh buffalo mozzarella and San Marzano tomatoes for the sauce and imports all the ingredients and toppings from Italy, except for locally sourced organic produce like arugula, cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil.

With no end in sight to the restaurant’s newfound popularity, Monaco advises other restaurateurs who may experience the same level of success to stay in a position where they can manage the food and dining service, train their new employees properly, and teach them about the food. Despite the increased attention, the couple remains humble and dedicated to delivering authentic Italian cuisine to their customers.