The Campbell Reporter

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Handmade gelato comes to Campbell

By Cathy Weselby

There's a new place in downtown Campbell that offers a respite from the frenetic pace of Silicon Valley.

You won't find Wi-Fi or people hunched over their laptops at Café Campbell. What you will find is a rich assortment of pastries, 24 flavors of gelato, coffee drinks and, depending on the time of day, a varying menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Owner Guissepe "Pino" Spanu opened the European-style café and bakery with the hope that it will be a place for people to meet in Campbell and socialize.

"People forget what life is about," Spanu says. "It's good to have modern conveniences, but you can't be a slave to it."

Café Campbell is Spanu's third business in the historic downtown district. He opened A Bellagio, a fine dining Italian restaurant, in 2004 and La Pizzeria, a pizza eatery, in 2006.

"It would be easier to duplicate one of my restaurant concepts that's already successful, but I prefer a challenge," Spanu says. "I'd like to draw more people to downtown Campbell."

Located on the corner of E. Campbell and Central avenues, the 1,500-square-foot cafe at 360 E. Campbell Ave. uses the site previously occupied by Rico's Mexican Café and Alie's Corner Café.

Spanu had always admired the location, which has undergone a $300,000 facelift. Venetian mosaic tile, polished dark wood cabinets and granite tables with leather chairs now adorn the space.

Spanu describes Café Campbell as a place where people can stop in and have a coffee drink or glass of wine with friends. He is gradually adding items to the menu and will soon have a selection of traditional breakfast options and Italian pastries in the mornings; soups, salads, paninis and specials for lunch; and Italian-style tapas in the evenings.

The gelato at Café Campbell is handmade from skim milk and other natural ingredients. Spanu says you can taste the difference because a spoonful of gelato melts right away on your tongue, as it should, without any lingering residue.

Spanu adds a twist by pouring vodka, tequila, grand marnier or whiskey over scoops of gelato to create gelato liqueur drinks, as is traditional in Italy.

Spanu grew up in Bellagio, a small town near Lake Como in Italy. He has been in the restaurant business since he was 13, starting as a dishwasher and working his way up. Ten years ago, a friend who owned a restaurant in Santa Fe, N.M., needed help, so Spanu moved there. It paid off; Spanu met his wife, Hongyu, in Santa Fe.

Now, with three restaurants to run and 60 employees, he says it's not so much about making money as it is about providing jobs and giving his customers quality.

"I want to help people understand what quality is all about," Spanu says.

For more information on Café Campbell, 360 E. Campbell Ave., call 408.515.1223 or visit www.cafecampbell.com. Open daily 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Lack of funding is preventing city leaders from purchasing a vacant lot on Springfield Drive in the San Tomas Area Neighborhood.

The Campbell City Council decided against purchasing the 6,500-square-foot property at its Feb. 19 meeting.

"It would be nice to buy the property, but it's not the case," Campbell Mayor Don Burr said.

The lot, owned by the San Jose Water Company, could be developed into a mini park or community garden for the neighborhood.

Burr met with San Jose Water Board chairman W. Richard Roth about the possibility of purchasing the Springfield Drive property at a reduced rate. Roth told Burr that San Jose Water shareholders require the company to sell any unused property at full market value.

Burr said San Jose Water is going to have the property appraised and would offer the city the right of first refusal as a courtesy.

However, the city of Campbell recently purchased the Stovanovich property on Union Avenue to develop as a park, which eats up most of the city's park dedication funds for the next three years.

All property owners within 300 feet of the vacant lot were notified about the discussion at the city council meeting.

Springfield Drive resident Ken Miller told council members that there's no public land in the immediate area.

"I understand that the city has funding limitations, but perhaps there's a grant available to purchase the land," Miller said.