Sapore Italian Café serves classic Italian with a twist

Use simple ingredients and the food will speak for itself. That philosophy, combined with an unwavering commitment to bring quality, consistency and thoughtful twists to classic Italian dishes is at the heart of Sapore Italian Café in Manchester. “My parents are from Sicily, my grandparents are from Sicily, and I was born here,” said Paul Buzzetta, Sapore’s owner and executive chef. “As long as I can remember, my family was in the restaurant business.”

Buzzetta began his career as a young boy working in his parents’ restaurant, Benedetto’s Ristorante in Des Peres, and later located in Frontenac. By age 9 or 10, Buzzetta was making pasta and pizzas for his friends and loved their reaction.

“This just grew out of a steady change from growing up in the business to getting older and having my own place,” said Buzzetta, who owned Limoncello in Clayton. “That whole passion just goes with you. It’s definitely in our blood.”

Inspired by his father’s work ethic and by his mother, Lia, who works along side her son as a chef at Sapore Italian Café, Buzzetta credits his Nonna Elena, a Sicilian immigrant, for stressing the foundation of Italian cooking.

“My Nonna Elena taught me a lot about the basic, traditional style of cooking – that if you can make a sauce the best way you can by using excellent ingredients, then you can play off that sauce anyway you want,” Buzzetta said.

That wisdom and the desire to bring his artistry to classic Italian cooking are the driving forces behind Buzzetta’s culinary creations, which are made from local and seasonal ingredients.   

“Cooking is supposed to be whatever you feel like – your interpretation,” Buzzetta said.  “Our twists on things are not totally off the wall, but it’s a different ingredient here and there, and that works for us.”

Honoring the best of Southern and Italian cooking, the menu at Sapore Italian Café promises full-flavored antipasti, creative pastas, seafood and steaks, and desserts. For example, there is the Caprese salad, composed of farm-grown tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, 20-year aged balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil; there is lobster ravioli, homemade and crowned with cream sauce and delicate paprika; there is Sicilian seabass, lightly breaded and baked with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, lemon and capers; and there is a filet stuffed with shrimp and crab, then graced with a Portobello mushroom and port wine sauce.

Whether the aim is a wonderful night out, or to simply enjoy a glass of wine or cocktails on the patio, Sapore Italian Café provides a well-balanced setting that is upscale, quaint and friendly.   

“Food and wine – that is what Italian people do – and I’ve been raised that way,” Buzzetta said. “If I can bring people in and they enjoy their food and their wine, their company, and they remember and tell other people, then I’ve accomplished what I’ve set out to do.”

Private lunch functions, catering and gift cards are available.

Sapore Italian Café
403 Lafayette Center, Manchester
Opens for dinner at 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday
(636) 256-3949
saporeitaliancafe.com