Rich Pepe calls himself a "baker by trade and a chef by passion.”
Back in the day he worked in a family bakery with his older brother and sister. He moved from NJ to the Monterey Peninsula in 1974, a year before Cecile and I moved to San Jose.
Vesuvio is named for the volcano that gates the Amalfi Coast, an area I spent some time in during my youth and early adulthood staying with my late mother Maria'’s friend Rosa and husband Mimi in their villa that overlooks the very same coastline. Mimi was also a baker (pastry chef).
Experiencing Italian Cuisine through the lens of Pepe and his family, who came from Naples, through Ellis Island before world war 1, and settled in Hoboken and Cliffside Park New Jersey was a real treat.
There was no mistaken that Vesuvio was the “real deal,” an authentic Southern Italian restaurant including a Napolitano wood baking pizza oven, that loyal patrons helped turn into a thriving enterprise. The Pepe family also owns the historic Carmel Bakery and other restaurants nearby.
Cecile and I shared Spring Bruschetta: Grilled Carmel Bakery sourdough, stracciatella, peas, asparagus, lemon zest & arugula;
Di Stefano: Crispy goat cheese, roasted beets, mixed greens, fig-balsamic vinaigrette, and split the entree: Al Forno ‘Sinatra:' Baked rigatoni, house sausage, mushrooms, goat cheese, mozzarella, pangratatto. And why not name it after Sinatra? It is Hoboken’s favorite son, now, and forever.
Buon Appetito! Or, as Rich Pepe would say, “Alla Salute!
