The Sun
      Sunnyvale's Newspaper

      Photograph by Robert Scheer

      Daryle Lupretta makes homemade raviolis on a press built in 1908.

      Where Wednesday is always a surprise

      By KATHERINE PETERSEN

      People come to Lupretta's from as far away as Monterey for the deli's homemade ravioli. Daryle Lupretta, owner of the deli on Stevens Creek Boulevard in Cupertino, makes the fresh meat and Swiss chard-filled pasta packages almost every day, with a ravioli press built in 1908.

      The business opened its doors in 1954 as Pianto's. Lupretta bought the shop and changed its name in 1994.

      The engineering technician had been laid off from his job and wanted to try something new. He took an eight-week course in running a business instead of participating in job retraining.

      "I figured that was the best time for me to do it. I didn't even look for another job in my other field," he said.

      Instead, Lupretta rolled up his sleeves and dug into buckets of flour, making batches of raviolis--2,500 at a time.

      "During the holidays, I make three to four batches a day," he said. "The raviolis are the heart of the business. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be here."

      The deli also sells homemade minestrone soup, meatball sandwiches, cold sandwiches and a variety of salads, all made on the premises. Lupretta features daily specials, including beef enchiladas on Mondays, stuffed bell peppers on Tuesdays, and barbecued chicken, Italian sausages, hamburgers and lasagna on Thursdays.

      "Wednesday is always a question mark; it's always a surprise," Lupretta said.

      The deli gets a good-sized lunch crowd, and Lupretta said a lot of customers stop in on their way home from work to pick up dinner.

      Lupretta has had his ravioli in booths at local festivals, which has brought him many new customers. Most people hear about Lupretta's through word-of-mouth advertising, he said.

      Customers can buy a box of uncooked raviolis for $9.50 or buy them cooked by the quart. There are about 50 in a cooked quart, Lupretta said. The store also sells homemade meat sauce and marinara sauce on Fridays.

      "It makes you really feel good when people come in and say they've heard my ravioli is the best," Lupretta said.

      Lupretta's Deli, 3443 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino. Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sat. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

      This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, April 23, 1997.
      ©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.