ORLANDO, Fla. — Buca di Beppo in Orlando is celebrating 30 years of Italian immigrant-style cuisine.
Inside the Florida Mall, Chef Holt Cappleman prepares guests for family-style dining.
“Here, it’s more Italian immigrant-style dining. It’s what the immigrants brought over to the U.S.,” Chef Cappleman said.
Buca di Beppo roughly translates to “Joe’s Small Place.” The concept started in a basement of a Minneapolis apartment building, emphasizing dining for large groups.
On the menu is a fan favorite — Buca’s Spicy Chicken Rigatoni.
Chef’s secret ingredient is garlic infused oil.
“You immediately get the garlic smell right away,” he said. “You want to add all of your herbs early. What that’ll do, is it will start to toast them, and kind of release the flavors out of them.
“So we’re building this pile of flavor here, so that when I go and add the chicken, I’m now adding all of the flavor into the chicken."
Chef Cappleman adds the Rosa sauce — a mix of marinara and Alfredo — to the chicken, before adding small chunks of butter to help create a creamy sauce.
“You kind of want to add it into little tiny pieces. What you’re doing now is adding creaminess to the dish and you don’t want it to break down completely,” he said.
Next, is the rigatoni.
“Pasta water is the one secret ingredient when it comes to cooking Italian food," Cappleman said. "It makes all the difference in the world.”
Buca di Beppo is located in the Florida Mall at 8001 S. Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando.