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Photograph by Robert Scheer

Etta Cirone, chef and co-owner of Mamarazzi, greets a group of regulars at her Cupertino restaurant.

New Year's resolution pays off at Mamarazzi

By Katherine Petersen

Etta Cirone made a New Year's resolution last year to have her own restaurant by 1998. Eleven months later, Cirone and her son, Phil Ullio, opened Mamarazzi at The Oaks center in Cupertino.

Cirone, who has published a book called A Flash in the Pan featuring 267 recipes and hosts her own TV show, Ettable Italian, airing on Cupertino cable television Saturdays at 4:30 p.m., arrives at the restaurant at 7:30 in the morning to make all the sauces and homemade desserts, including New York cheesecake, tiramisu, cannoli and zabaglione (a Marsala custard).

Ullio handles the business side of the restaurant. "I surrounded my mother's excellent cooking with a strong management team," he said.

Customers will notice the restaurant's New York influence when they first walk in and catch a glimpse of the 8-foot Statue of Liberty at the top of the stairs.

Pictures of family, friends, and famous and infamous Italians cover columns throughout the dining room, including snapshots of Cirone at 15 and later at her wedding. "Sometimes, after eating, customers will wander through and look at all the pictures," Ullio said.

Opening a restaurant has been a lifelong dream for Cirone. "It never seemed to be the right time," she said. "But now, standing in my own restaurant, watching all these people enjoy recipes, I love it. I love to cook, and I love to see the expressions on people's faces when they taste something wonderful."

Some guests have already returned three times in the three weeks that the restaurant has been open.

"One woman took some of my minestrone to her daughter who'd just had a baby, and she said it was better than medicine," Cirone said.

Mamarazzi's menu features pastas, seafood, chicken, fish and veal, all made with the freshest and most authentic ingredients, Cirone said.

Some customer favorites include pasta carbonara, with a creamy pancetta sauce; steak stuffed with black olives, raisins, Pecorino cheese and parsley; and flame-broiled salmon. Lunch prices average about $8, while dinner prices run from $8.95 to $16.95.

"Italians are very passionate about their food," she said. "The dishes have to look good, smell good and taste good."

Mamarazzi, The Oaks Shopping Center, 21275 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino. Hours: Mon.-Fri. 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sat. and Sun. 5 to 9 p.m.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, December 31, 1997.
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