Social media, the neon-sheen of restaurant chains, and instant gratification of the digital age are all foundations of modern society.
It’s nice, then, to occasionally sit back, sip on a glass of wine, and enjoy food that’s made by care. Flour caked hands, old family recipes, and a proud lineage of Italian cooks comprise the history of Marechiaro’s Italian Restaurant.
Social media, the neon-sheen of restaurant chains, and instant gratification of the digital age are all foundations of modern society.
It’s nice, then, to occasionally sit back, sip on a glass of wine, and enjoy food that’s made by care. Flour caked hands, old family recipes, and a proud lineage of Italian cooks comprise the history of Marechiaro’s Italian Restaurant.
Nestled near Lake Jennings in El Cajon, people have been flocking to the famed eatery for decades. “Quality and simplicity,“ said Joe Brunetto, the owner of the venerable establishment.
“Those are the two ingredients to longevity.“ Brunetto would know; he first began working at the family restaurant, under his father’s tutelage, when he was eleven years-old.
“My dad taught me about ethics and motivation,“ Brunetto said of his father, Benedetto, who first opened Marechiaro’s in 1955.
With their business up and running, all they needed then was a name. One of the partners suggested an Italian name which he thought would be easy to pronounce in English: “Marechiaro’s Pizza House.”
Since that moment, Marechiaro’s, which means “clear sea”, has been pronounced in more ways than you might imagine.
Some 56 years later, the same wisdom applies. “My kids have all worked here,” said Brunetto. “I try to instill the same ideals in them that my father instilled in me.”
The dividends of this maxim have truly made themselves known, as Marechiaros toils tirelessly to make homemade, fluffy pizza dough; artisan sausage; monolithic meatballs; and a plethora of savory sauces.
The staff are warm people, a family from the old school of Italian cooking, where the idea of domesticating their earthy roots for the sake of Olive Garden-like accessibility would be like thumbing their nose at tradition.
Everything here is authentic and bound by one rule. “Never compromise,” Brunetto. said.
“Times will change but your ideals shouldn’t.” Clearly, Marechiaro’s is onto something. For more information about the restaurant featured, visit their website at www.marechiarositalian.com
