Here’s why I think Stuzzi will suck…
I received this in my inbox from an anonymous source. An anonymous source that I trust. Lets call him/her “Deep Throat.” Here are some excerpts from my conversation with this “Deep Throat.”
____________________________________________________________
“I urge you to search Peter’s name see the sort of information you find. The guy is seedy and one of the most stereotypical, narcissistic fellows I’ve ever met. Conniving doesn’t do justice to the manipulative spirit on which this guy operates, on a momentary basis”
“Among his many grandiose claims, he stated that his family taught Americans how to cook Italian food. He openly denigrated various ‘famous’ chefs in NY and the US (of course claiming he was better).”
“He and the chef are opening this place with a plan to flip it more than twenty times across the region (20 restaurants!). Their investment pool is massive, from individuals all the way up to the mother company that owns Outback, Carrabas, Flemmings, P.F. Chang’s etc (once again, just a claim, but apparently they are ‘in the game watching’)”
“These guys just like the sound of words, the lack actual knowledge or attention to detail”
“… lowly employee’s will be mandated to sign a blanket non-compete because what they’re doing involves ‘secrets’.”
“[This] is simply a vignette that establishes a glimpse Peter’s (and presumably Giuseppe’s) ‘passion’ which seems to be chicanery and dirty money.”
-(maybe a dangerous comment)
“The pizza however, will probably be good. When I say ‘good’ I mean above average but not great. The true loss, is that Richmond’s first ‘Neapolitan-style’ pizza place is illusion, or at best half hearted. Their oven will probably produce results that look visually appealing; it will be a great oven. Whether they know how to use it will be the question, working a fire oven takes acquired skill, rhythm, wisdom that I doubt either of them posses.”
“I guess if one has money one can do anything to a point. A good comparison is Capital Alehouse: they can afford to sell any beer but the place still blows. In this case the market always wins, market ‘competition’ is good for the market, not for people, but that’s another story.”
22 Comments
Leave a comment
Contact Us
Party
Links
- the pizza before... http://t.co/tpEpWLUT
- @BlizzardCS I've played 20 minutes total since "launch." http://t.co/XEKf48Yn.PLAY.OFFLINE.
- QUEENS PARKER RANGERS #MUFC
- Delfina Pizza, San Francisco http://t.co/e6UlBtH9
- @kadeshaGoiNs we enjoyed ourselves to say the least! 3 pizzas crushed and a full review to come.
I’ve heard similar anecdotes to these (some worse), but Caserta’s heyday with Pasta Luna is kinda before my time (at least before I would have been interested). What exactly comes up when you do a search of his name? Since your Deep Throat suggested doing your homework, what have you come up with? I don’t really doubt any of what you’ve posted above. But, inquiring minds probably deserve a little substantiation. Since I’ve alluded to Caserta’s history on my blog and linked back here, it’d benefit readers of both of our blogs. The business philosophy of a restaurateur probably doesn’t change but so much over time, but might there be a possibility that this time around, he’s changed his approach? Just throwing these questions out there. I think a controversial piece like this is only as valuable as the discussion it generates. So, I hope people will chime in.
http://www.businessweek.com/archives/1995/b341768.arc.htm
there’s a start
The idea, of this new restaurant, sounds good. The reality…. I went to Pasta Luna on a couple of occasions. Great sounding food made with substandard ingredients. Veal tended to be tough and gristly, sauces overly sweet, other items obviously not made in house. Service was not even barely competent – no menu knowledge and a complete lack of understanding of the basics. Oddly, Pasta Luna had a brief reign as the place to go and was very popular for a while. I think it was mainly due to marketing and buzz created by the owners. The reality didn’t live up to the hype and the restaurant died a well deserved death.
I’m not going to prejudge but my expectations are very, very low.
An egotistical douchebag in the restaurant business wouldn’t exactly be breaking new ground. There are many in the industry who would probably say that it”s pretty much the norm, and it does take a certain amount of hubris to open a restaurant in the first place, which is probably why it tends to attract so many people like this. Whatever the reason, it certainly hasn’t stopped many of those places from producing good food. That’s where I see most of the conjecture coming in here- I just fail to see the tie between the owner’s personality and past business dealings and the relatively unknown chef’s ability to make a good pizza. Not to say that I’m just buying his hype that this will be the best pie ever. When they open I’ll see what people think (I’m just not the type to bust down the doors on a restaurant’s opening night) and when I get around to it, if the reviews weren’t terrible, I’ll go and see how it is. At least it’s cheap, so we won’t have to rack up $100 tabs just to find out if he’s blowing hot air. We’re just speculating on how a non-existent pizza tastes at this point- maybe he is a jerk but the internet pile-on doesn’t really accomplish anything.
@ jon
True, but unfortunately many tycoons across the country seem to be rampantly opening up “neapolitan’ pizza places (even on a mobile level: ilcanerosso.com), all the while capitalizing on a modish culinary venture. One must wonder if VPN license safeguards quality or rather, simply conduces entrepreneurship.
True, the pizza has not been tasted or it may end up looking “visually appealing” but It seems that the main criticism or point might be the irony. Neapolitan pizza, just like any established indigenous cuisine, (I Imagine) involves a particular culture, dedication and or care. Bookstore Piet’s statements above corroborate the hype within the articles about stuzzi; it just doesn’t seem genuine.
I suppose I’d rather see an individual open up a decent pizzeria or restaurant in genuine environment over any flashy ‘nouveau-rustic-etc’ establishment. Environment, spirit and especially one’s intentions should count for something.
thanks nathan.. one of our biggest underlying points.
if its going to live up to its claims, it has to be about more than the money. it has to be like you said, genuine. its just not looking that way at the moment.
I worked for Peter for over a year at the old Pasta Luna, and I can tell you I have never met a less reputable person. Ive worked in dozens of restaurants in a couple cities, and this guy is just the worst. He has no conscience. He will flat out lie to anyone. You can watch him do something shady and upon questioning him, he will claim it didn’t happen. His ingredients are not high quality, home made, nor fresh. All he cares about is making a dime, no matter the cost. He is bitter and mean and irrational. He also has gone crazy over the years, especially as pasta luna failed, causing him to constantly mettle in his restaurant at the cost of consistancy. There is no way in the world that this place is either authentic or successful.
“Ex pasta luna employee”, thank you for sharing that information, though I am not surprised at any of those things you said. I ate at Pasta Luna one time and it was awful, sickening even. The owner’s personality traits that you listed certainly showed through in the food. I will stay far away from Stuzzi!
Sigh.
Peter is running around town telling everyone that he used to own Azzurro (false) and that he also started Dean and Deluca. In addition his favorite story is that he is from a Sicilian neighboorhood in New York where Robert Deniro grew up. At the same time, somehow, he grew up in Naples and learned how to make “authentic” Neopolitan style pizza. He is also an Engineer by the way.
The bottom line is that it is not even worth questioning his stories. I cannot even begin to tell you how full of crap this guy is. The fact that he is even remotely tied into Stuzzi puts a large imaginitive “Do Not Enter” sign on that front door for many, many folks around town.
[...] like Mangieri: effort and dedication pay off (very hardcore) and one should be very leery of flashy ventures powered by inflamed investments (not to beat the point to death). Admittedly however, I’ve never eaten his [...]
I really don’t care as long as the food is good…
[...] We had our reasons for expecting Stuzzi to be a bit of a disappointment and I personally have a bit of disdain for [...]
I’ve been twice now….thought I’d give it a second chance. Aside from the pizza being mediocre (at best!), and the $10/glass “bubbly” being flat, he roams the place emitting sleeze. He’s a pervy old guy and gives the place a bad energy. After reading more about him, I will not be spending any time or money in Stuzzi. I feel sorry for the staff that have to interact with him.
PIZZA DRAMA!! +++
I worked there for a week. Not only did he tell me that they had written down when I came and left and later denied that he said that (he told me I was told how to clock in, which was a lie) but when I kept asking to fill my w-4 forms out he wouldn’t let me. I was young and stupid, and had trusted that I would get everything taken care of. A week later, they called and fired me and didn’t pay me everything they promised me. I never went back, and knowing that he is the owner of Stuzzi, I won’t be going there either.
I also worked at Stuzzi. Without knowing what I know now about Maserta, I was concerned about how shady the place was being ran. Along with myself, none of the other girls were paid what they were promised during the first week of training. I was also given substantially less of what I made during the soft opening. My service was always great– the complaints I received were from patrons noticing Maserta’s obtrusive presence and firey temper toward his employees. I am glad I quit when I did because I honestly could not bare making that restaurant any more money. In addition, I am going to have to file a wage form with the labor bureau because they owe me so much money from “missing days” on my paychecks and telling me a different tip out amount than the original tip out amount (and then lying about it to my face).
The food here truly is mediocre at best. If you really want to have a good dining experience, go to Mamma Zu’s or Edo’s Squid. Why give money to a millionaire who exploits college girls? Bloody sleeze.
P.S. He is 71 and tried to sleep with my ex coworker who was 22. He makes out with young golddiggers who wouldn’t touch him if he wasn’t a walking bank account. I’m so grossed out by Stuzzi and Maserta. Sexism, male chauvinism, exploitation, and and flat out crooks at it’s finest.
the pizza is great though
ya blew it
The guy is far from a millionare. He is a BS master but that doesn’t pay the bills and neither does he. Actually, I couldn’t figure out how anyone could buy his Mr. Magoo BS act. I heard his BS “I’m an engineer and have a new software company I’m working with” line and it wasn’t close to convincing. “We’re Apple, IBM, Oracle and Google all rolled into one” didn’t have me opening my wallet. He would serve microwaved Digiorno pizza and call it D.O.C if it made him $$.
This type of speculation and distraction from the base topic of this website is ridiculous – I’m still questioning myself for resurrecting the thread. I’ve worked for many restaurants with many questionable owners, and their personalities don’t necessarily reflect the qualty of the product.
Pasta Luna was paramount to the Italian food industry for years. They won countless awards in the late nineties and early noughties because of their product. But let’s face it – with the development of Short Pump came new, trendy places at which to dine. The Pasta Luna building has been for lease for years. It’s in a great location, but it’s not leasing for a reason. Just like Willow Lawn and Regency were the Short Pump Malls of the past, Pasta Luna was the equivalent of whatever is popular west of them. It appears that all you chatty-kathy alarmists failed to consider that.
And the pizza is delicious. I’ve been to Stuzzi and researched their “certification” and it’s a legitimate Italian board who flew from Italy to research their registered restaurants. Sounds like they have no choice but to keep their ducks in a row. I also researched Maserta and he was an engineer and is involved with a software tech company. You all should really do your research before shooting off at the mouth giving actual, more professional reviewers a bad name.
hey phil, if it makes you feel any better, we were wrong.
No you weren’t. This was the only fucking review you stupid clowns had right! I shat my brains out of my ass for a day after eating that slop! Phil, go to hell