Things to do on and around Siesta Key
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A slice of New York in Gulf Gate
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Co-owners Eric Montpetit and Steve Bordes in the Capo Pazzo kitchen.
by Jane Bartnett
here’s pizza, and then there’s the New York-style pizza served at Capo Pazzo Pizzeria Kitchen & Bar in Gulf Gate. Owned by Rino Bresciani, Steven Bordes, Stephen Menna, and Eric Montpetit, the restaurant will celebrate its first anniversary in September. Bordes and Montpetit manage the restaurant’s day-to-day operations, while Menna and Bresciani are based in New York. Looking back on their first day, Bordes recalled that more than 200 people showed up. It’s been quite a year for the lifelong New Yorkers who have introduced the Siesta Key region to real New York City pizza. Over the past year, the word has spread about authentic New York Italian cuisine located just
off Tamiami Trail South. “We’re doing great here,” said Montpetit, who serves as the manager and is generally the first person to greet customers. “We split the different aspects of the business,” Bordes said. “Eric and I are here every day, making the pizza and keeping the customers happy.” The name Capo Pazzo, according to Menna, translates into “crazy boss” in Neapolitan slang. Menna, who also owns Tufino – a thriving pizzeria in Astoria, Queens – perfected the recipes that are the basis for Capo Pazzo›s menu. “They are Steve’s grandmother’s recipes,” said Bordes. “Most Italian grandmothers never share their recipes. We got lucky.” Baked in wood-burning stoves and rooted in the foods and flavors of Naples, Italy, the pizzas
were developed and refined by Menna. He makes quarterly visits to Capo Pazzo. “I love going to Siesta Key,” Menna said on the Sarasota Speax Podcast. Menna initially had the idea of opening Capo Pazzo. In 2021, Bordes and his wife Melissa relocated to Siesta Key from Long Island, New York. Soon after, Menna came to see his old friend who had supported him when he opened his Queens pizzeria. During this visit, Bordes said, “We realized there was a need for a New York style pizzeria here.” They spent an evening making pizzas in Bordes’ home kitchen and had their own taste test. On the fourth pizza, they found the right mix of dough and filtered water. The key was filtering the water that would be added to the
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Gulf Gate’s Kolucan celebrates one year of elevated Mexican cuisine
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an Lucas Colucán, located just southeast of Mexico City in the centralMexican state of Puebla, still carries significant components of Aztec culture—especially rich culinary traditions grown for generations from the region’s volcanic soil. This historic area served as the genesis for Gulf Gate’s Kolucan, which celebrates its one-year anniversary this month. Chef and co-founder Gino Calleja, who grew up in San Lucas Colucan, named the restaurant for a native Náhuatl transliteration of his hometown. He and Kolucan co-founder and chef Jose Rojas became business partners in
By Hannah Wallace the venture, united by their shared interest in elevated culinary techniques and traditional Mexican flavors. Trained at the Arts Institute of New York City, Calleja worked in high-end Manhattan establishments before moving to Sarasota in 2007 and serving as Chef de Cuisine for Mattison’s, among other local eateries. But taco-loving Sarasotans may be most familiar with Calleja’s talents from Reyna’s Taqueria, which he first opened on north Beneva Road in 2018. Reyna’s quickly became a hit and often earned local accolades for its tacos and other authentic Mexican
dishes. Calleja, who’d named the restaurant for his mother, Doña Reyna, operated it for five years before selling in 2023 to focus on Kolucan. “W hen we opened Reyna’s, our goal was to offer the freshest, most authentic Mexican cuisine possible,” he said. “W hile Reyna’s was a great starting point, I always envisioned a restaurant like Kolucan.” Reyna’s embodied wellexecuted Mexican cuisine in a comforting and casual way that’s familiar to many Americans. But Calleja had long dreamed of giving those traditional flavors the fine Continued on page 10V
Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. To 3 p.m.
SIESTA KEY
SWIMWEAR RESORT WEAR ACCESSORIES
1960 Stickney Pt Rd 941.922.4545
DOWNTOWN
LONGBOAT
50 N Tamiami Trl 3170 Gulf of Mexico Dr 941.954.8800 941.383.2288
www.SwimCity.com