MORTON — Get ready for the tempting smells of authentic Italian cooking to waft through the neighborhood, when Luca’s Cucina opens on Tuesday, May 2 for takeout and catering at 29 S. Morton Ave., Morton.
Owned by Luca and Stefania Capoti of Ridley Park, the new restaurant will bring the authentic taste of Italian American cuisine to the area.
The menu offers a variety of mouthwatering dishes such as Ravioli al Formaggio, homemade ricotta ravioli with browned butter sage and shaved parmigiana; Penne con Zucchine e Gamberi, penne pasta with cherry tomatoes, zucchini pesto and sautéed shrimp; Pasta /Fagioli e Cozze, mini shell shaped pasta sauteed with mussels in a creamy cannellini bean puree; and Penne Melanzane, penne pasta, fried eggplant, tomato sauce with shavings of ricotta salata.
The menu also offers a variety of panini, grilled and served on focaccia bread, including Caprese Panini, Mortadella Panini and Chicken Pesto Panini. There’s also a variety of Antipasti e Insalate (salads) and Zuppe (soup) specials each week.
Luca’s catering menu will surely please guests with entrees such as Pasta Atollo, mushrooms, pancetta in a tomato basil pesto crean sauce; Pasta e Rose, penne pasta in a rose sauce with prosciutto, sweet peas and pecorino cheese; and Orecchiette con Salsiccia e Rape, orecchiette pasta with sausage and broccoli rabe.
Owner Luca Capoti points out the photos of his and Stefania’s nonnas that hang on the wall inside Luca’s Cucina. Their grandmothers both taught them to cook. (PEG DEGRASSA/ DELCO TIMES)
Luca hails from Gallipoli in the Puglia region of far southeast Italy where, as a young boy, he learned to cook from his nonna, Agata Bianco.
He owned a restaurant in his homeland for five years, before his best friend Davide, who had immigrated to America years earlier and formerly owned L’Angolo at Broad and Porter streets in Philadelphia, asked him to come to America to help. That was 16 years ago and Luca never looked back.
While working at L’Angolo, Luca met his now wife, Stefania, who was born and raised in South Philadelphia to two Italian parents, who were born in Milano, Italy.
Like Luca, Stefania quickly became aware of her passion for cooking while watching her Neapolitan-born nonna prepare delicious Italian meals.
“Stefania and I both realized how much we had in common, not only sharing the same language, but we learned that we were both taught by the world’s greatest cooks: our nonnas,” Luca said with a knowing smile.
After working at L’Angolo for two years, Luca continued to build on his culinary skills at Pescatore BYOB in Bala Cynwyd.
He wanted to learn catering so he took a job at 12th Street Catering in Philadelphia. From there, the chef honed his skills even further, cooking for large numbers at the Urban Outfitters headquarters at the Navy Yard, where he had the opportunity to befriend and learn from master chef Marc Vetri.
He partnered with a friend to open L’Angolo West on Eagle Road in Havertown. Luca said that, after getting the restaurant off the ground, he sold his share. The restaurant eventually sold and is currently the successful Burrata Havertown.
Luca Capoti of Ridley Park is all smiles inside his new takeout/catering restaurant, Luca’s Cucina. The new restaurant opens Tuesday, May 2. (PEG DEGRASSA – DAILY TIMES)
He took a part-time job at UPS for income and insurance, while he looked around to find a restaurant location that he and Stefania could call their own. He wanted to create a family business that maybe his children, Adrianna, 21, George, 17, and Andrea, 12, could work at if they wish some day.
He found just what he was looking for at the available former home of Devine Occasions Catering.
Excited to open their own restaurant, Luca and Stefania immediately began preparing for this week’s opening.
Initially, the restaurant is only able to accept call-in and in-person orders for takeout and delivery, but online ordering will soon be available on their website. The restaurant now offers an in-house delivery service, but will soon also offer delivery service through GrubHub and DoorDash.
“Our cooking and our customer service will be top notch and second to none,” Luca promised last week while he worked nonstop, unpacking boxes and ordering ingredients, preparing to open in just a few days. “Our motto is you will come in as a friend and leave like family! Trust me, after tasting our cooking, you will want to come back!”
Luca’s Cucina
Luca’s Cucina, 29 S. Morton Ave., is open for takeout and catering beginning May 2.
Hours are Tuesday through Thurs, noon to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 8 p.m. Closed Monday.
To place an order, stop by, call 484-474-8021 or email lucascucina1@gmail.com. To view a menu or for other information, visit https://www.lucascucina.com.
Ready to open for business on Tuesday, May 2, Luca’s Cucina is at 29 S. Morton Ave., Morton. Customers can call in orders and have the food ready for pick-up or delivered to their door. (PEG DEGRASSA/ DELCO TIMES)