Emeryville tradition supplies locals with fresh Italian fare
The saga of how Bucci’s came to be is both an intriguing story of the ’70’s and ‘80’s and a key to its success. The three owners of Bucci’s – Amelia Bucci, Paul Camardo, and Leslie Julian – are old friends who have known each other since the early 1970’s. Bucci (as Amelia is now known to her customers) and Paul both hail from Syracuse. They met Leslie Julian at a tobacco shop on Harvard Square where Paul worked after spending a few semesters at Harvard.
These three friends shared with a few others a communal house; there they acted on their love of cooking and good food, beginning the tradition of cooking for friends. Once a month they would host a dinner by reservation only for those who were lucky enough to be acquainted with them.
A few years later all the members of the household decided to move to California. Once here, all three of worked for several years at their own jobs. Les worked at UC Berkeley, Bucci as a social worker and Paul went to LA for a hotel job. Then in 1985, Bucci quit her job and the idea of a restaurant began to percolate. They essentially had no money except what they cobbled together from friends. “It was probably crazy,” said Bucci, marveling at the hubris of their youthful decision. They looked all around the East Bay, but found that the only available restaurant spaces were “pits.”
A breakthrough came when their lawyer, long-time Emeryville resident Greg Harper, worked out a deal with Ken Bukowski, then the owner of Silks nightclub at the Public Market. Silks was only open after 10:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, so Bucci and her partners carved out a kitchen that could be approved by the Health Department, brought in some tables and chairs, and opened, on April 15,1987, for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday. The menu depended heavily on pizza.
Every Friday night at 9:30, while the DJ was warming up – the decibels increasing by the minute – they would scurry to remove the tables and chairs and then exit before their ears began to ring and the patrons in their fancy nightclub attire arrived. “ I can still remember the pounding of the music, the disco balls and strobe lights,” laughs Bucci.
Only eight months later, after a couple of positive reviews – one from Janet Fletcher of the Chronicle – Bucci and her partners were forced out on their own when Public Market took over Silk’s space. Again attorney Greg Harper stepped in and was able to negotiate with Rich Robbins of Wareham Development for the space at 6121 Hollis, where Bucci’s has been ever since. Relying on friends for design (Jeremy Hamm) and construction (Charlie Metcalf), Bucci’s as we know it was born.
In 1987 Emeryville was quite a different place. New lofts were just beginning to replace old industrial businesses and there were only a few contemporary restaurants: the Townhouse on Doyle had just re-opened as a restaurant (shedding its country-music-bar-character); Carrara’s, a popular café on Powell; and, Kathleen’s Doyle St. Café, now known as the Doyle St. Café.
24 years later Bucci is struck by the fact that “Emeryville has grown back into a flourishing town, but different.” Now condos house most of the residents and the businesses are cleaner.
Entering Bucci’s, one is struck by the light pouring in through the many expansive windows and by the angles of the various surfaces in the renovated warehouse. The post-modern industrial architecture works – enticing diners inside with lofty ceilings and white pillars that speak to the nature of the place: a casual yet serious restaurant. The striking curved wooden bar, a creation of Charlie Metcalf, is often crowded long before the tables are full.
The food at Bucci’s has remained true to its intention of serving fresh Italian fare, but has been updated over the years to respond to changing tastes and requests. The owners brought in the burger several years ago after long resisting including it in the menu. Bucci’s now offers one that meets their high standards: they make the buns in-house and grind their own meat. Pizza, salads, and rotating entrees are featured on the appealing menu which ranges from affordable to slight splurge. A new item – gluten-free pizza – has been well-received.
The three partners share the work of running Bucci’s. Bucci does the hosting, staffing and shares the menu development with the others. Paul is the purchasing agent and makes the bread and sausages himself. Les is the CFO and handles wine and alcohol purchasing. On Saturday afternoons, Bucci, Paul and Les can be found on site, with a few selected friends wine-tasting and working out the details of the business.
Emeryville workers comprise Bucci’s lunch customers: the computer programmers, biotech researchers, publishers and developers who swell our population during work hours. In the evening, one is likely to find diners from all over the Bay Area as well as locals, and, increasingly, families with children from the neighborhood. The Green room, a side dining area, has become a gallery with rotating exhibitions of local artists, and draws customers who primarily want to view art.
How has Bucci’s survived the economic downturn? “We haven’t survived it yet”, says Bucci, but “we’ve come this far so, we will weather the storm.” They haven’t had to lay off workers but have adjusted the schedules. The restaurant doesn’t advertise except in the “Berkeley Monthly.” 99% of their new customers come from word-of-mouth and good reviews from Zagat, Yelp and Urban Spoon. To assist the community and to get the word out about their business, Bucci’s donates gift certificates to schools and non-profit groups.
When asked her opinions about the value of supporting local businesses, Bucci has a definite viewpoint: “We’re the canaries in the coalmine. The number of local businesses is decreasing – you can see it every day in the papers. If you don’t support us you’ll have nothing but chains. Only the consumer has the power to save the locals.”
Could Emeryville do more to support its local commerce? Bucci likes the way Solano Ave. comes together with advertising for its local stores. Here in Emeryville, as a small business Bucci’s hasn’t seen the benefit in paying dues to the Emeryville Chamber of Commerce. By contrast, a chamber focused on small local businesses would serve the whole community.
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