The courage to face new challenges: the evolution of La Capannina between restaurant, wine shop and wine bar.
The intuition of Francesco and Renata De Angelis in intercepting the needs of his customers and creating new and dedicated services for them.
We live in uncertain times; times in which you have to look with interest at the news and not be afraid to face the changes.
It is not a question of following fashions, nor of accepting the rules of the markets that require us to differentiate production; rather, it is a question of having the courage to invest one’s energies in projects that one believes in, without ever forgetting one’s own history and the goals of those who preceded us. This is what the De Angelis family did, which, starting from the historic La Capannina restaurant, was able to support you with new and highly appealing activities for Capri.
But let’s start from the beginning.
La Capannina restaurant, since its inception in 1931, is based on a deep respect for the culinary tradition of Capri; despite the passage of time, this characteristic has remained intact in their dishes, and is also proudly carried around the world.
The restaurant has in fact promoted Capri in cooking programs on American TV, in Germany, even in Japan; to mention in particular the participation of Francesco De Angelis in a program on Food Network USA with Giada De Laurentiis, with whom Francesco prepared the ravioli following the recipe of their kitchen. This and other projects aimed to bring Capri into the world with taste, so that people can, while savoring the culinary delicacies of the place, have a taste of the island even from a distance.
In 1988, the De Angelis family decided to inaugurate the first wine shop in Capri.
The reasons are closely related to a need that arose from the restaurant’s own customers, that is, to have a place to get a bottle of wine to take it with them on their boat rides. It was precisely to satisfy this need that the idea of embarking on this new adventure came about; today, after more than 30 years of activity, the wine shop has become a point of reference for Capri, with a very wide choice of wines, favoring national ones over foreign ones, even more those from Campania.
Over time the project grows, and good wine begins to be accompanied by the sale of refined liqueurs, jams, a refined selection of chocolate, but also objects, from the typical ceramics of Capri and the area and furnishings related to the world of kitchen. All stimulated by the requests that gradually advanced customers, and that Francesco, Renata and his family always aim to satisfy. Finally, 20 years ago the idea of the bar arrived; Francesco opens it while his parents are on holiday in Tuscany, who, upon their return, receive a great surprise! A project that has done nothing but meet another need of Capri and its tourists, all of which are always carried out with a family management, based on attention and care towards the customer, which distinguishes all the activities of the De Angelis family.
Restaurant, wine shop and wine bar: three distinct but adjacent rooms, separated only by a few meters. The historic venue remains the restaurant, which in pre-covid times could seat up to 120 people. Despite the problems caused by covid as in the whole sector, La Capannina has accepted the challenge and is working to adapt, to welcome customers even on an outdoor veranda. In the past, the restaurant has also had the opportunity to host events, small but always of a certain level, and plans to start doing it again when the regulations allow it.
The wine shop, on the other hand, has always remained open, while the bar has also recently reopened; and it is precisely here that Francesco, thinking of an extra service that he could offer to his customers, decided to work his way up, cooking five or six dishes a day with a formula that allows customers to eat little, light, in a healthy way and without spending too much.
In short, when he is moved by a sincere passion for his work, he never stops renewing himself, finding ways to be closer to his customers. The story of Francesco and his family proves this, and who knows what news they still have in store for Capri, for its inhabitants and for all those who want to discover the island.
