Today we’d like to introduce you to Tore Trupiano.
Hi Tore, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Born in Monroe, Michigan, Tore was lucky to be exposed to foods of the world at an incredibly young age. Born to immigrant parents with a dream to open a restaurant in the United States. My father Damiano, handled the front of the house. My mother Santina, handled the kitchen. I knew quickly that food was in my future. Restaurants were opened in Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio. In 1986 the family decided to make the move to the west coast. Restaurants were opened in Orange and San Diego counties. Pizza Festiva was hosting a pizza completion and Tore entered. Divisional winner in 1995 with a BBQ Chicken Pizza, 1996 with a breakfast pizza, and 2008 with the Mardi Gras Pizza. In 2010 Tore decided that there was more to cooking than Italian cuisine and pizza. A food truck that featured freshly smoked meats. Tore found a new love, pork, brisket, chicken, and the other main meat, bacon. Mastering the art of smoking was a fun activity that quickly turned into a passion. There is always a way to deconstruct, twist, flip, and turn a basic traditional dish and make it a wild dripping off-the-walls culinary piece of art. In 2012 Tore decided to return to his roots and rejoin the family business. With new locations on the horizon, Tore took the reins at the 2 harbor locations. “You can take the pit master out of the pit, but you can’t take the pit out of the pit master.” Tore created the Maple and Bourbon porchetta. It is an infusion of the classic Italian porchetta infused with the flavors of the good Ol’ south. The flavors just pop, especially since the twist is an Asian-style BBQ sauce. A multi-cultural creation that just screams “Eat me. The next chapter combines the craft of making pizza and the skills of a pit master. Pizza expo Tore debuted his last creation, “The Big Easy”. Smoked provolone and mozzarella blend, ground duck, ground alligator, shrimp, caramelized onions, and fried okra. Most of 2016 were spent perfecting the pizza crust. Muti-stage fermentation and different types of flour. The end results produced a fifth-place finisher in the pan division at the 2017 Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pizza Expo unites the top pizza chefs from around the world.
2016 brought the biggest accomplishment yet, representing the United States of America as part of the U.S. Pizza Team. The Groupon U.S. Pizza Team was founded in 2000 with the goal of bringing competition and excitement to the pizza industry. Since its formation, the Pizza Team has participated in an international event every year, most frequently at the World Pizza Championship in Parma, Italy.
In June of 2017, The Guinness World book of records really did call. Lead by an amazing team of leaders, Tore was part of the team that built the longest pizza in the world, 1930.39m to be exact. On June 10, 2017, Tore checked that off his bucket list and Tore Trupiano is now in the Guinness World book of records.
On September 17, 2017, the Northeast Pizza Trials were held at Samosky’s Homestyle Pizzeria in Valley City, OH. The competition was tough and Tore came in 2nd place overall. Cali Peach was the entrée, Bourbon peach BBQ, a blend of mozzarella, gouda, and muenster cheese, herb-baked pork belly. Smoked pork shoulder. Bourbon brown sugar caramelized onions. Asian micro greens with peach nectar and pecan vinaigrette, 3-day fermentation with a blend of high gluten flour and Spigadoro 00.
On November 19, 2018, The U.S. Pizza Cup Northeast Trials saw a plethora of great traditional pies, pushed to the line of traditionality, and traditionalism. Tore takes 3rd place in the classic category.
December 8, 2018, Tore Trupiano represented the team in the World Food Championships! The best score for his BBQ Bacon Detroit Style Pizza and placed in the top ten in the world overall!
January 13, 2019, Pizza pizzazz was held at the MId-America Restaurant Expo in Columbus Ohio, and Tore representing the US pizza team took 2nd place with THE PIG (Pizza Is Great) Bacon fat infused pizza dough with Sausage, Pulled pork, bacon pepperoni, mozzarella, ricotta florets John Boy & Billy BBQ Sauce, candied jalapenos, and praline bacon.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Mangia e Bevi a California-based Italian restaurant completely pivoted its business during the coronavirus pandemic. After receiving an email from my son’s school stating that the lunch program was being suspended because there was no longer in-school learning. I called the districts to let them know we would feed the kids. We were closed and I had fresh products to use. The schools never responded but a substance recovery house and a senior center did respond. We were able to provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner to those in need. There wasn’t much revenue generated, but needs were being met and we were able to keep the lights on. During the shutdown, the restaurant owners and staff redirected all their efforts to feeding seniors in need through local restaurants. The Italian food restaurant is part of California’s Great Plates Delivered program which allows seniors at high risk from COVID-19 access to warm, healthy, home-cooked food in their dining room – where they might otherwise go without.
Tore Trupiano is a veteran in the restaurant industry. Once the pandemic hit and the lockdowns started, Tore felt the need to reach out and do something for the community. Along with other business owners and restaurant operators, he joined the Great Plates Delivered initiative, which offers high-end food service to at-risk seniors who have had to start social distancing.
In the beginning, with only 40 delivery orders, the workload wasn’t tough to handle – he and his business partner would complete the food deliveries in an hour. But, as more seniors signed up for the program, the number of orders began to grow exponentially. Within a few short months, they were delivering close to 500 meals a day and hiring 30 additional drivers.
Upon joining the initiative, another hurdle they had to overcome was accounting for the handful of seniors with dietary restrictions. He needed to be sure his drivers knew exactly when the special meals were needed and match these to delivery addresses, and the customers’ dietary needs were easily met.
“The process is like ordering online. The seniors sign up either via text message or email and they know exactly when their food leaves the restaurant, where their drivers at, and the estimated time of arrival. And that’s just been something that they absolutely love – it gives them a part of their day to look forward to.”
Mangia was able to help Genentech as well. As you know, so many pharmaceutical companies were racing to make a vaccine for covid-19. Genentech went to a 7-day-a-week work week. Even though they had a cafeteria program, it only operated Monday through Friday. Mangia was able to provide hot, individually packed meals for the employees of Genentech for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Even though the last contract ended in March of 2022, Mangia will continue to look for opportunities to help the community and to give back whenever we can.
Mangia e Bevi was opened in October of 2018. Just as we were starting to hit our stride, Mangia was closed due to the covid-19 pandemic. Mangia was never able to set up our workspace with the proper equipment needed to operate. New equipment would enable us to be better prepared and be better set up to handle what our customers need from us.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Mangia e Bevi is a truly authentic Italian restaurant. The menu was inspired by Tore’s grandmother and mother. The same dishes that were prepared for Tore as a child are now recreated for you to enjoy. Mangia e Bevi provides you the same cuisine as if you were sitting at a sidewalk cafe in Italy.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
As a young boy, Tore Trupiano grew up in Monroe, MI, just south of Detroit the son of Italian immigrant parents. One of his fondest memories was the sights and smells of his mother and grandmother making fresh bread. Like most Italian immigrants, Tore’s grandmother and mother made their own bread for the family dinner table. Tore never lost sight of family traditions. He learned to always use the best and freshest ingredients. This same passion serves as the foundation and guiding mission of Mangia e Bevi today. It is our goal to produce food of exceptional quality using only the best and freshest ingredients.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mangiaoceanside.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mangiaoceanside/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mangiaoceanside
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/mangiaoceanside
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mangia-e-bevi-oceanside
