Capo Pazzo means crazy boss in Neapolitan dialect, and by the end of this conversation the name feels earned. Steve Bordes, Stephen Menna and Eric Montpetit brought their New York-style pizza south into a Sarasota space that had previously been a pizzeria and then Off the Hook Seafood, and they do not sugarcoat how rough the beginning was.
The trio describes a soft opening that drew roughly 250 people, far more than they were ready for, resulting in the shop running out of dough while the kitchen's air conditioning climbed to 94 degrees. It is the kind of origin story that could sink a business, but Capo Pazzo pushed through and built a following around signature pies like the Donnie Brasco and an upside-down Sicilian modeled on the one made famous at L&B Spumoni Gardens in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.
The Florida Water Myth
The team also tackles a question every transplant New Yorker gets asked in Florida: whether the water is the reason pizza never tastes the same down here. They walk through why that is largely a myth once reverse osmosis filtration is in play, insisting Capo Pazzo's dough is built the same way it would be back home. That attention to craft paid off when the shop placed second in the SRQ Magazine pizza contest, just behind Osteria 500, a strong showing for a Sarasota newcomer going up against established kitchens.
Roundabouts and Rapid Fire
When the hosts steer the conversation to Sarasota's roundabouts, the guys are unbothered, joking that dealing with a traffic circle is better than sitting at a red light, and running through the right-of-way rules like seasoned locals. The episode wraps with the Rapid Fire Gauntlet, but it is the soft-opening disaster story and the water myth debunking that make this Capo Pazzo conversation worth the watch.
From a 94-degree kitchen on opening night to a runner-up finish in a citywide pizza contest, Capo Pazzo Pizzeria's founders make clear that their Sarasota shop earned its following the hard way. Their story is a useful reminder that even a well-executed concept with authentic New York roots still has to survive a rough first few months before it can become a neighborhood favorite in a new market like Sarasota.
What you'll take away
- Capo Pazzo means crazy boss in Neapolitan dialect, which the owners lean into as their brand identity.
- A roughly 250-person soft opening led to running out of dough while the kitchen hit 94 degrees.
- The Donnie Brasco and an L&B Spumoni Gardens-inspired upside-down Sicilian are the shop's signature pies.
- Reverse osmosis filtration debunks the myth that Florida water ruins New York-style pizza.
- Capo Pazzo placed second in the SRQ Magazine pizza contest, behind Osteria 500.
“That's better than a goddamn red light.”