Buona Forchetta, the popular South Park-born Italian restaurant company with seven locations countywide, expands its North County footprint this week with the opening of a new location in the North City development near Cal State San Marcos.
The new Buona Forchetta restaurant at 250 North City Drive in San Marcos hosts its grand opening Wednesday in the 120-seat indoor/outdoor location formerly occupied by PrepKitchen, which closed in March 2020.
The new location is open for lunch and dinner service and will eventually add breakfast and brunch service when there’s enough demand. It will serve the same menu as the other locations of Buona Forchetta (which is Italian for “good fork”).
Company founder Matteo Cattaneosaid the North City landlords made him a great offer to come in as a name-brand draw for what builders hope will become a popular dining district at North City, a 200-acre mixed-use development on the university’s northern border that will eventually include 3,400 residential units, 375,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, up to 1 million square feet of commercial office space and 20 acres of parks.
The interior of the new Buona Forchetta restaurant in San Marcos, which hosts its grand opening on July 7.
(Pam Kragen / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Cattaneo said he leased the San Marcos space at the dawn of the pandemic with the agreement that he could wait to open when economic conditions improved. Since restaurants were allowed to reopen with no restrictions on June 15, Cattaneo said business at all of his locations has been the best in the history of his 10-year-old company, despite the industry’s ongoing labor shortage. He credits the increase in business to pent-up demand and customer loyalty for the company’s grocery and family meal service during the pandemic, as well as its community philanthropic efforts at places like The Monarch School and McKinley Elementary in San Diego.
Cattaneo grew up in Bergamo, Italy, where his family tends olive orchards. In 2006, he moved to San Diego to study business law. But when he began working part-time in a friend’s Italian eatery, he fell in love with the restaurant business. In 2011, he opened his first Buona Forchetta just a few blocks from his then-home in South Park specializing in Neapolitan-style pizza. Since then, he has opened Buona Forchetta locations at Liberty Station, Coronado and Encinitas, a wine bar and nonprofit bakery, both in South Park; and Gelati & Peccati, a gelato and slice shop in North Park.
The San Marcos Buona Forchetta is open from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and until 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Free parking is available in the garage lot on Campus Way just north of restaurant. Visit buonaforchettasd.com.
Animae Restaurant in San Diego will host four cheftestants from “Top Chef” season 18 for a charity dinner on Aug. 1.
(Dustin Bailey)
‘Top Chef’ cooks planning dinner at Animae
Four cheftestants from Bravo’s just-finished 18th season of “Top Chef” will be cooking together on Aug. 1 at Animae restaurant in San Diego to raise money for José Andrés’ charity World Central Kitchen.
Chefs Shota Nakajima, Jamie Tran, Maria Mazo and Byron Gomez will collaborate on an Asian/Latin American menu inspired by Kokoson, the winning menu concept on season 18’s “Restaurant Wars” episode. Animae is co-owned by “Top Chef All-Stars” alumnus Brian Malarkey, and its executive chef Tara Monsod will create an amuse bouche to kick off the $350 seven-course meal. The dinner is being produced in collaboration with Un-Plated by Sabrina Medora. Just 120 seats will be sold.
For tickets, visit exploretock.com/taku/.
Winner, Michael Norman, left, and Michael Cherry, second, race in the men’s 400-meter run at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Sunday, June 20, 2021, in Eugene, Ore.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Chipotle honors San Diego sprinter
Fans of Michael Norman, a San Diego-based sprinter headed to the summer Olympics in Tokyo this month as a member of Team USA, can cheer him on over a Michael Norman burrito at Chipotle locations through Aug. 8.
The new burrito — with double chicken, light brown rice, light black beans, tomatillo green chili salsa, guacamole and lettuce — is one of 10 new menu items this summer inspired by Team USA athletes. Visit teamchipotle.chipotle.com/
Guy Fieri supports local restaurants
Two San Diego small restaurant owners received $25,000 grants last month from chef and TV host Guy Fieri, during Fieri’s online special “Guy’s Restaurant Reboot by LendingTree.” The livestreamed show was created to help restaurateurs get back on their feet following the pandemic. Fieri raised $300,000 in grants from donors like LendingTree and Twisted Tea.
The two local recipients were Avonte Hartsfield of Rollin Roots vegan food truck and Gustavo Tonella of Doggos Gus Mexican Hotdogs in Imperial Beach. In 2019, Hartsfield started Rollin Roots at one San Diego farmers market. By March 2020, he was at 15. When the farmers markets closed, he rented a food truck in July and has been serving customers on a pay-what-you-can basis. Tonella discovered a passion for bacon-wrapped hot dogs in Mexico and spent months developing his own recipes before launching his first stand in 2010. For details on the show, visit guysrestaurantreboot.com.
Board & Brew opens on Santee
Locally based Board & Brew, a gourmet sandwich and craft beer chain, opened its 19th location last month at 213 Town Center Parkway Suite A2, in Santee. Founded in Del Mar in 1979, Board & Brew is known for its specialty sandwiches and house-made dips, dressings and sauces. Visit boardandbrew.com.
Gelson’s hosting virtual ice cream tasting
In celebration of National Ice Cream Month, Gelson’s markets will host a virtual ice cream tasting event at 6 p.m. July 15.
Customers pay $24.99 in advance for the ice cream tasting kit featuring a Coohaus mint chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich, a pint of Craig’s Vegan Killa’ Vanilla Bean and a pint of McConnell’s chocolate peanut butter chip. the box will also include ice cream cones, two ice cream sauces, cookies and an insulated cooler bag. Then they can tune in on July 15 to the tasting event on Zoom that will feature officials with Coolhaus, Craig’s and McConnell’s. Ice cream packs can be picked up July 14 and 15 at Gelson’s stores in Pacific Beach, Del Mar and Carlsbad. To RSVP and pre-pay for pickup, visit gelsons.com/icecream.
Gelson’s is also hosting a sweepstakes during July where two winners will receive ice cream for a full year. To register, visit gelsons.com/iloveicecream.
Kragen writes about restaurants for The San Diego Union-Tribune. Email her at pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com.
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