An unexpected spotlight shines upon Cucina Caprese

It was the type of publicity that changed everything overnight for restaurant owners Giuseppe Monaco and his wife, Derya.

The couple learned several weeks ago that Yelp called out their Midway District restaurant, Cucina Caprese, for slinging some of the best pizzas within the U.S. and Canada. The rating website ranked their pies at No. 88 on a list of 100. It was the only San Diego pizza kitchen that made the cut.

A day after the news hit, the dinner-only restaurant was thrust into a chaotic wave of business that involved nearly 4,000 phone calls from enticed consumers. In addition, about 200 people showed up at the door with hopes of landing a table to savor Cucina’s Neapolitan-style pizzas, available in 18 varieties.

“We were not prepared at all. We were understaffed,” said Monaco, noting that his sleekly designed restaurant, which still lacks signage, had only been operating since November. It resides within the Nordic Village Plaza at 3545 Midway Drive, in the double-section space that previously housed Torpasta by Devine Pastabilities.

Immediately after, local TV news Fox 5 San Diego invited Monaco into its studio for a television segment on pizza-making to highlight the restaurant’s Yelp honors. The combined publicity, Monaco noted, has resulted in a 30 to 40 percent increase in overall business, and a 30 percent spike in pizza sales.

Monaco is a native of Capri, Italy. His wife, originally from Turkey, “does everything at the restaurant except the cooking.” She said the operation went from having two servers and a bartender to a current staff of 17 people. “And we’re still hiring more,” she added.

Cucina Caprese got its start 10 years ago as a catering company for public and private events. That arm of the business remains alive and well with the support of three transportable igloo-shaped Valoriani pizza ovens imported from Italy. In prior years, Monaco ran a fine-dining restaurant in Colorado.

For now, the inconspicuous restaurant pretty much requires reservations. Although Derya said they accept “some walk-ins on weekdays, usually after 8 p.m.” Closed on Tuesdays, the business stays open until 9 p.m. on weekdays, and until 9:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

When asked if lunch service and extended evening hours are being considered to keep up with new customer demand, Monaco replied, “We have a 9-month-old baby, so no.” He added that Cucina Caprese’s brick-and-mortar venture is “part of my fun retirement.”

The restaurateur adheres to his native Caprese roots in his style of cooking across the entire menu, which also includes pasta Bolognese, spaghetti aglio e olio, chicken Parmigiana, lasagna with grass-fed beef, and more.

“Our cuisine is lighter than the northern parts of Italy. We use olive oil and white wine instead of cream,” he said.

As for the pizzas, they’re cooked at 900 degrees. The pillowy dough is made with “00” organic stone-ground flour, and it’s given 72 hours to rise. The result is pizzas with crispy-thin crusts with puffy perimeters.

“The texture is airy and more digestible compared to American-style pizza. You can eat two pizzas and not realize it because of how light they are,” he said.

In further keeping with the required building blocks for Neapolitan pizza, he uses fresh buffalo mozzarella and San Marzano tomatoes for the sauce. All of the ingredients, plus various other toppings such as shaved Parmesan Reggiano, prosciutto di Parma, sweet salami, and olive oil are imported from Italy. For toppings such as arugula, cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil, Monaco sources the produce from local, organic farms.

With no end in sight for the restaurant’s increased popularity, Monaco’s advice to other restaurateurs who might experience the same fortunate fate is: “Do not overbook yourself. Stay in a position where you can still manage the food and dining service. Train your new employees properly and teach them about the food.”

CUCINA CAPRESE

Where: 3545 Midway Drive.

Hours: Sunday-Thursday 5-9 p.m., closed Tuesdays; Fridays and Saturdays 5-9:30 p.m.

Contact: cucinacaprese.com, 970-631-3204.

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