Antonio
Ciocia first arrived in Sri Lanka in 2005, as Head of Security at the Italian
Embassy in Colombo. The first four years he spent on the island were so good
that in January 2011, a few months after leaving and trying to build a life in
Cape Verde, he gave up and came back.
For
two whole years, Ciocia scouted Colombo for the right location for a restaurant.
“It’s
not easy, especially if you don’t know the place,” he shakes his head. “In the
beginning I started to go by taxi, then tuk-tuk” he laughs, “then walking.”
His
searches turned up nothing.
Then
less than six months ago, a friend told him about the Sri Lanka Tennis
Association. The administration was looking
for someone to run a cafe on the premises, so Ciocia went and checked it
out. It was dirty, but he loved the floor and the garden space. It clicked.
Things
were suddenly on a roll, so as he began working on the renovation of the space,
Ciocia got in touch with his brother back in Bari, Italy. He had found the
house, but how does one run a restaurant without a chef? Ciocia’s brother had already heard about a young genius
who made “fantastic” pizza and so he went to Kintamari and put the idea to Domenico
Capodiferro.
Capodiferro,
a third generation chef, was already in his element at a bustling pizzeria, but
a matter of days later, he called
back to say he was in. Santore got born.
In
the two months since Capodiferro arrived in Sri Lanka, Ciocia’s introduced him
to the people and places that made him fall in love with the island. They have become close and developed a good
relationship. Ciocia believes Capodiferro will be here “forever”.
Ciocia
has spent a fair amount of time rendezvousing at restaurants in Rome and understands
that being a chef is a lot more organizing and managing work than it looks like.
He also appreciates the huge risk the 23-year-old chef has taken, leaving
behind a job in Italy during a financial crisis. Ciocia takes the
responsibility seriously, not just for Capodiferro, but the whole staff that
works with him, and it is unlikely the restaurant will dwindle to a mere
business.
Pizza
is their pride, and the Italian wood-oven takes centre-stage at Santore. Their
Santore, four-cheese and spicy Diavola pizzas have so far been the biggest hits,
Ciocia says. They also have a comprehensive anti-pasta, pasta and salad menu
including sharing options, starting at Rs.700. The pizzas come to your table piping hot with a crispy crust burnt
just right, and the pastas are wonderfully flavoured.
Their
aged cheeses and preserved fruits
and vegetables all come from Italy. Ciocia is worried that Mozzarella will not
do well travelling such distance, so he gets it fresh from Italians who make it
in Sri Lanka. And when
Capodiferro arrives to start the evening’s work, he
walks in carrying bags of fresh vegetables. The young chef takes special pride
in making his grandmother’s famous chocolate biscuit pudding, and the decadent
cashew, chocolate Santore special as part of the South Italian desserts menu. There
is obviously a lot of care and passion behind the restaurant, and this, more
than the “Italianness” of it all, is what makes the food as “authentic” as it
gets.
Ashok
Ferry is one who is “absolutely a pizza person” as long as it’s authentic. At
the jam-packed soft launch for the restaurant on October 11, he puts his thumb
and forefinger together and yells “superb!” over the hubbub as he fights for
his second slice of pizza. The place is buzzing.
“I am a party person. I love parties,” Ciocia
smiles.
When
he lived and worked in Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2009, Ciocia hosted a couple of
parties ... every week.
He remembers having over 150 people at his home once,
and guests queuing in the kitchen at 9p.m. on the dot. The food was out in half
an hour.
At
the soft launch, people are jostling to get their hands on even a slice of
pizza and prettily dressed young ladies are unelegantly stretching cheese strings
across tables. Ciocia walks over to crazy-busy Capodiferro at the pizza bar and
starts saying “please” for a slice when another man informs him angrily, “Hey!
I was here first”.
“And
I’m the owner!” Ciocia laughs.
Rest
assured, it is the most relaxing place. The atmosphere is nice and the
colour-tones warm. The bar is more modern and cooler, which, though it might
not work artistically, is a good picture of the informality of the place. You
go here for good food and fun, no pressure. There are little clay lanterns
bordering the garden, giving off a soft glow in the evening. The furniture is
very simple, plain wooden chairs and tables with minimal decor. Inside, the
floor is the old red tile that the architects wanted to remove during
renovation, but Ciocia liked too much to change. The place is just cosy. It’s
easy to imagine that this is an Italian home where everybody is talking at the
same time and there is too much food on the table and enough laughter to fuel
the oven.
And
if you’re not in for a full South Italian meal, in a few weeks, Santore will be
a great place for winding down on a weeknight. The rooftop is currently bare,
but Ciocia has plans for a Mediterranean bar. And there’s not much sounds
better than a plain old pizza party under the stars.
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