A Campanian immigrant to the USA with his brothers and sister at the age of 17, Giuseppe Bruno is now the owner, executive chef, and sommelier of "Caravaggio" and co-owner of "Sistina," along with his brothers. Both restaurants are located in New York, where they offer excellent Italian cuisine to a prominent clientele, including Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, George Clooney, Michelle, and Barack Obama.
Giuseppe Bruno was born in 1959 in Battipaglia, Italy, into a farming family. He was studying hotel management at the Salerno hotel school when, at the age of 17, in 1976, he moved to New York with his 4 brothers and sister. In Italy, it was a turbulent time, and there were no prospects. In Salerno, there was a lot of drug-related issues, and young people often became involved with the local mafia. Giuseppe's grandfather lived in America, working for a cheese company in New Jersey, and had advised Giuseppe's parents to move there. The initial period in the US was challenging; they lived in Newark, which was at the time disrupted by social protests, there was a curfew, and people couldn't go out after 5 PM. Discontented, after some time, they told their grandfather that they wanted to return to Italy. In response, he took them to see an Opera on Broadway, found them an apartment in New York, not far from there, where the Bruno brothers lived while waiting for their parents to arrive.
As soon as Giuseppe and his brothers arrived, they started working in the restaurant industry: he and his brother Gerardo worked in the dining room, Antonio was in the kitchen, Cosimo went to school and later worked as a bartender. From 1977 to 1983, they worked for others.
The turning point came in 1983. The Brunos opened their first restaurant, "Sistina," on Second Avenue. The secret to their success was their ambition; they wanted to do well and were excited about introducing Americans to authentic Italian cuisine. The restaurant did well right from the start. Americans loved the story of these four brothers working together, and they offered dishes that were a hit during the Made in Italy boom, such as regional specialties, the finest cured meats and cheeses, white truffles, and handmade pasta by their mother.
The Bruno brothers got married and had children. The success of "Sistina," enriched with artworks by Matisse, Sandro Chia, Frank Stella, Edward Kelly, and moved to a building near the Met, allowed them to invest in land, and after that initial success, they opened more restaurants.
The brothers started "San Pietro," and Giuseppe opened "Il Caravaggio," of which he is the owner, executive chef, and sommelier. Every day, he goes to the market to select the freshest ingredients the market can offer, from seafood to meat, to vegetables from local farmers. Today, the restaurant offers both delivery and dining in private rooms. In 2019, Giuseppe and his brothers were honored as part of Columbus Day celebrations.
