Michele Caporale is part of the third generation of restaurateurs who opened what is now Restaurante La Bottega di Michele on Calle Fabrica in Santa Catalina just over 25 years ago.
The family story began in 1918, when Michele’s grandmother, Nonna Graziela, opened her first restaurant in Pescara (Abruzzo). His grandfather followed in her footsteps, as did his mother Antonieta.
His passion, creativity and love for his work brought Michele to Mallorca, but not to open a restaurant.
“A friend of mine had a plan to come here and sell coffee, open an Italian coffee shop but it didn’t work. I began working in a restaurant in Calle Fabrica, there were very few restaurants in the street then, and eventually I opened Restaurante Via Appia. And then, as business grew, moved across the street and opened Restaurante La Bottega di Michele. Now my son Manuel is leading the next generation of the family with three restaurants in the same street which are all part of the family group of restaurants,” Michele said this week.
Fine Italian cuisine
Michele, who does not serve pizzas and never has, was the forerunner, the Godfather of fine Italian cuisine and dining in Palma, if not Mallorca. Testimony to that was my interview with him on his terrace. Every five minutes he was out of his chair shaking hands and thanking repeat clients of all nationalities, making sure everything went well, that they had enjoyed their lunch, while offering those who did not have to return to work a drink on the house. And that, according to Michele, is part of the skill of running a successful restaurant.
“My family first entered the catering world between the two world wars. My grandmother not only had the restaurant but a small hotel with eight or nine rooms offering half and full board.
Britons
“Come the ‘20s, as things started to pick up, Italy had become very popular with British tourists and I think that is one of the reasons Britons know much more about Italian food than other nationalities. They’ve been visiting the country for over a century and many now have second homes there, so we get a lot of British clients, be they residents or tourists, but my clientele is very varied.
“Running a successful restaurant with high standards and reputation is not easy. I remember listening to stories of how my grandmother would be up at 5am, be down at the local market and then haggling with local farmers for the very best fresh produce for hours before finally getting round to preparing lunch and dinner for guests and clients. And apart from the days being extremely long, there was no plastic, there was no frozen and pre-packaged food like today.
“Everything was fresh and had a very short shelf life; nothing could be frozen. As a result, apart from excellent homemade fresh seasonal food, there was hardly any rubbish; the local waste collector had next to nothing to do. There were no paper table clothes or napkins, it was all linen, which needed to be washed by hand, and no plastic waste, unlike today with the micro plastic threatening fish stocks, for example, never mind the litter,” Michele said.
“And that approach to cooking and running a restaurant has remained in my family for generations and I can see it in my son.
All day kitchen
“The kitchen is open all day, but front of house is extremely important. I am here every day that we are open along with my wife Marcela, without whom none of this would be possible, making sure that all of our customers are being well looked after, that they are content, comfortable, being pampered, enjoying the food and the service, and that all my staff have a smile on their faces and are doing all they can to ensure that the clients get maximum value for money.
"None of this is easy. I don’t want people simply handing out plates of food. I want them to live, feel and love what they do. I want my staff to be happy, motivated, proud and honest. Transparency is key, people aren’t stupid and they can see through a strained smile straight away. If there is any tension, they feel it and I don’t want that. I want a pleasant, unique atmosphere and that is why I now close for two days during the week, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, to give my staff time off so that when they are working they are fresh and on the mark.
"Plus, and I hate to say it, finding good staff these days is not easy. Young people don’t want to work, well not hard in the hostelry sector, so I do my best to look after my team. If it costs me a few euros more, so be it. That’s the way the industry goes and, like I said, we have high standards to maintain.
Captain of a ship
“It’s like being the captain of a ship, I like to keep it tight and on the right course and that means I need a a good crew who I can rely on.
“I like to think that coming to my restaurant is like going to theatre. It’s an experience, but a lot goes on behind the scenes and, unlike a film when things go wrong and you can shout ‘cut’ and start all over again, in theatre there’s no second chance on the night, it’s got to be right first time around.
"Everyone has to know their places and their lines, that’s what I’ve learnt from the family business and what I think I’ve passed on to my son so he can take the next generation forward.
“And of course, we only use the very best ingredients and produce. From our pastas to the meat, fish and seafood, it’s the very best, and we source it from all around the world, not just Mallorca and Italy, and when all this dedication comes together, people enjoy coming to be part of the family and eat at the restaurant,” he said.
Labour of love
“It’s a labour of love and we aim to share that with our customers,” Michele added.