5th ANNUAL ARTSEA CAFÉ PERFORMING CHEF
Giuseppe Ciuffa
Owner/Executive Chef
Giuseppe Chefs & Fine Catering
Chef Giuseppe Ciuffa was born in Ferrara, Italy and like all Italians, he reveled in the evening meals with family. “Life was centered around the next meal with family and friends.”
Culinary creativity partnered with professional drive, instilled by spending hours in the family kitchen watching his mother make pasta dough, each dish made from the freshest ingredients from his family’s or neighboring farm, Giuseppe set out to share his passion for cuisine and hospitality with others. From a pizzeria at age 14, to watching chefs preparing special events at the renowned summer resort Hotel Punta Rossa, studies at the Culinary Institute of Rome, to General Manager of the prestigious restaurant café in Trieste, Italy, the Antico Café San Marco, Giuseppe used his inspiration to design a dream of sharing an exceptional food experience for all.
With a new language, country and opportunity, Giuseppe took his passion and successfully managed high-profile downtown San Diego restaurants Bella Luna Ristorante and Paper Moon Cafe, co-owned a La Jolla based trattoria, La Taverna, and transformed an ambling La Jolla bakery, Come On In! into a thriving chain of bistros. Finally, in 2003, Giuseppe rolled all of his experience into GIUSEPPE Restaurants and Fine Catering and opened his most recent restaurant, the Museum Café, located in the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, La Jolla.
Giuseppe is now solely focused on his passion which has been realized in GIUSEPPE Restaurants & Fine Catering, sharing with clients the delight of memorable flavors and his excitement for cooking the way he once dreamt of in that small kitchen in Italy.
