What's In a Name?

As Juliett, in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliett, so eloquently put it, “what’s in a name?”.  I’m not ashamed to admit that, when it comes to the name “Cucina Mauro”, the answer is: not much.

“Cucina Mauro” translated literally means “Mauro’s Cooking” or “Mauro’s Cuisine”. In so much as I am the name sake of Cucina Mauro, it is accurate; but, quite frankly, there are many more people behind Cucina Mauro, than just me.

For starters, just about every dish on our menu is my mother’s recipe and cooked the way she taught us. So, in some ways, a more accurate name might be “Cucina Francesca”.

The family involvement doesn’t end there. Firstly, my wife deserves sainthood for tolerating the long hours that the job often demands of my time; but beyond that, she is often the face of Cucina Mauro, when we are on-site, managing the “front of house”, while I manage the kitchen.  You will not find a more professional, polite, and customer service oriented person than her.

Then there is the rest of the family. I am one of four children in the Ritacca famiglia, and believe me when I tell you that the other three have poured much of themselves into this; everything from business advice to working in the kitchen, and on-site at events.  If that’s not enough, their children (my nieces) are a part of the Cucina Mauro team, too!

Last but, certainly not least, is staff.  While I am proud of the family-oriented roots and pedigree of Cucina Mauro, and will always make a point of ensuring genuine family involvement (no matter how large we grow), we couldn’t do what we do without staff; everyone from  the part-time staff that get called in for larger events, to the crew of servers, bartenders, and hosts from the event staffing agency that we are partnered with.  We are proud to work with a team of individuals dedicated to authenticity, quality, and customer service.

So, yes, it’s my name on the web site and business cards, but this is far from a one-person operation.  A very big thank-you to everyone who has helped to make Cucina Mauro Catering what it has become!