Eight restaurants, gallons of sauce, many pounds of penne — and hundreds of pasta lovers with discriminating palates.
After an afternoon-long taste-testing Aug. 17, Boss of the Sauce honors at Little Italy San Jose went to the Locanda Ischia and Locanda Sorrento restaurants of San Jose and Campbell, respectively.
Sorelle Italian Bistro of Campbell garnered the most People’s Choice votes — for the second time.
“We won!” exulted Locanda owner Enzo Rosano. “We have the Neapolitan ragu — Mamma Carmela’s recipe.”
Rosano, a Naples area native, has featured his mother’s signature sauce at all of his Locanda restaurants in the Bay Area — from the South Bay to Pleasanton, Danville, Lafayette and Brentwood.
His restaurant partners Annalisa Luongo and Rosa Giordano staffed the Little Italy booth.
Locanda Sorrento, the family’s first South Bay venture, opened in Campbell in early 2022 and Willow Glen’s Locanda Ischia in June of this year. After a temporary closure, Ischia will reopen soon and hold an official celebration in late September.
For the first time, Little Italy opened up the Boss of the Sauce contest to meat-and-tomato sauces. Previously, it was an all-marinara affair.
The event was held in the courtyard of the Little Italy Cultural Center & Museum and the Italian Cellar speakeasy, with attendees filling the patios of the Poor House Bistro and Henry’s Hi-Life. The museum is now open to visitors on Sundays,
Details: 323 W. St. John St., San Jose; www.littleitalysj.com
Dining and Cooking