Caffe Trieste
Caffé Trieste is a chain of six Italian-themed coffeehouse plus one retail store in the San Francisco Bay Area, California.
The Caffe Trieste was opened in 1956 by Giovanni Giotta (aka "Papa Gianni"), who in 1950 had emigrated to San Francisco, California, from the small fishing town of Rovigno, Italy (now part of Croatia). Missing the espresso houses of Trieste, Italy, Giotta opened his own cafe. Caffe Trieste is said to be the first espresso house on the West Coast.
Cappuccino
The original Caffé Trieste in San Francisco's North Beach quickly became popular among the neighborhood's primarily Italian residents. "It was all Italian people," Giotta said of the neighborhood, "But I got the American people to like cappuccino." [1] Papa Gianni Giotta is known as "The Espresso Pioneer", both in Italy and America, earning the label by having brought Espresso and Cappuccino to the West Coast, thus starting the Espresso Movement seen today. The company's Licensing Program promises to open, on a one-by-one, "non cookie-cutter" basis, more Trieste locations in the SF Bay Area, Northern California, Southern California, the Southwest and East Coast areas.
Meeting place for authors and artists
The Caffé Trieste also becomes a convenient meeting place for Beat movement writers like Lawrence Ferlinghetti (still a regular), Alan Watts, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Richard Brautigan, Bob Kaufman, Gregory Corso, Michael McClure, Kenneth Rexroth and Neeli Cherkovski, who lived in North Beach in the 1950s and 1960s.[2] Jack Hirschman, former Poet Laureate of San Francisco, has also been a regular patron. The Caffe has been featured in several movies, on television, radio, in magazines, and in many photography books, ranging from local to national and international in scope.[3][4] Francis Ford Coppola wrote much of the screenplay for The Godfather while sitting in the Caffé Trieste.[citation needed]
Timeline
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2012) |
1956: Caffé Trieste opens in San Francisco's North Beach.
1965: The Caffe undergoes a mandated partial remodel, menu is expanded to include the first use of syrup (Torani Orgeat almond syrup) in chocolate based, espresso coffee drinks, producing Caffe Trieste signature drinks Cioccolata Fantasia and Caffe Fantasia. In the 1980s, Brandy Brandenburger of Torani Syrups and Papa Gianni would further experiment with Torani syrups and create many of the flavored espresso coffee drinks now vastly popular across the United States.
1971: Caffe Trieste opens its first retail store adjacent to it North Beach coffee house location AND establishes what would become the longest running musical show in the City of San Francisco-THE CAFFE TRIESTE SATURDAY CONCERT, finally combining the family's musical career and Caffe operation. The Concert would gain much exposure and soon starting showing-up on television both in the United States and abroad.
1976: Caffe Trieste Annex installs a 1920's era coffee roaster, adds "Superb Coffees" to its identity and starts in the roasting and wholesaling business in earnest but on on a small scale, with its own proprietary coffee formulas.
1978: Caffé Trieste opens a Sausalito branch and incorporates as Caffe Trieste Incorporated ((later known to insiders as "CTI")).
1982: CTI establishes TRIESTE RECORDS and releases its first LP album: "Saturday Live at Caffe Trieste", an outstanding quality, live recording and production in collaboration with Barry Brose of Highland Laboratories/Highland Recording Co. of San Francisco. The album's Executive Producer was Gianni Giotta, Producer and Co-Engineer, Fabio Giotta)
1985: Caffe Trieste Superb Coffees wholesale operation is launched on a larger scale and now includes a small Production Facility for its "hand-crafted" coffees on Mississippi Street, in the Potrero Hill district of San Francisco. The product line starts to evolve further, and experimentation with formulas is ongoing. The Facility will move to much larger quarters just down the block and across the street in 1993.
1992: A 30 minute documentary video about the Caffe and family titled: "Nostalgia Dei Sensi" is released, followed by a live concert video "Live at Forest Meadows-The Caffe Trieste Performers" in 1998, starring Papa Gianni and Gianfranco, with Fabio as accordionist and bandleader.
1998: Papa Gianni appears in A & E's documentary production: "Italians in America" (national broadcast and VHS.)
1999: TRIESTE RECORDS releases the first of three newly slated CD albums, starting with a vocal compilation of Gianfranco Giotta's vocal recordings spanning 35 years and six recording sessions in California (at Highland Laboratories and Golden State Recorders) and Italy (with accordionist/bandleader Mike Corino at Cetra Records) titled "SENZA TE" for Gianfranco's original song in the album. The mammoth restoration, re-mixing and remastering project produces and renews many professional collaborations, including one with musician/composer Ron Elliott (cover art,) Barry Brose of Highland Laboratories, and Leo De Gar Kulka of Golden State Recorders/Sonic Arts.) Produced and Co-Engineered by Fabio G. Giotta and Rob Masud. Fabio also appears on acoustic accordion and Cordovox and as bandleader on many of the album's 19 tracks. Other tracks include Jazz greats pianist Jimmy Diamond, guitarist Eddie Duran and many other San Francisco area musicians. TRIESTE RECORDING STUDIOS sets up a project "Studio 55" at the Potrero Hill Production Facility. The project starts in December 1997 and will include some newly recorded vocal tracks. Album is released in June 1999.
Three months later, son Gianfranco would suddenly pass away after complications from a prolonged illness.
2001: Caffe Trieste founder Papa Gianni Giotta is officially honored and awarded by the Mayor of the City of Trieste and the President of the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region for the Caffe's "Old Country" rooted marketing efforts which result in greatly increased fame and notoriety for the City of Trieste. In Italy, a regional and national television and newspaper media blitz ensues, and Papa Gianni is whisked from one media appearance to another.
Later in 2001, Papa Gianni Giotta steps down as President & C.E.O and takes on exclusive duty as Chairman of the Board of Directors, while son Fabio takes over as President and C.E.O. and sister Sonia Giotta-Pantaleo becomes Executive Vice-President.
2002: A two hour video version of a 2001, national, live radio broadcast from the flagship North Beach location "West Coast Live, with Sedge Thompson" is released. It includes appearances by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Herb Gold, Jime Perini, the Giotta Family and the Caffe Trieste Band.
2004: Caffé Trieste becomes a chain, with a branch in Berkeley and two more in San Francisco - one on Market Street (at Gough) near Civic Center and one on New Montgomery Street (at Howard) in the SOMA district. All locations will feature live music, with Papa Gianni doing concerts at multiple locations. Now age 84, Papa Gianni focuses exclusively on seeking candidates for new locations.
2005: TRIESTE RECORDING STUDIOS begins experimental recordings at its large, newly built Studio 65 at the company's Potrero Hill Production Facility and executive offices. Papa Gianni appears on XM Radio's "Bob Reynolds Show" in an episode dedicated to notable Italian immigrants.
2006: Caffé Trieste celebrates its 50th anniversary in April and rolls back its prices to 1956 levels, 2006.[5] The August 2006 50th Anniversary Big Bash brings many celebrities and VIPs to the Caffe's stage, including Angela Alioto, Ron Elliott (musician) (of The Beau Brummels), Joey Reynolds (WOR Radio-NYC), and many more, and 1200 people move through the small caffe in a few hours, while hundreds more celebrate at the block party outside! Papa Gianni, Fabio and Sonia will follow-up with LIVE, national radio appearances on the Joey Reynolds Show which include interviews and live vocals, harkening back to the Golden Age of Radio and the family's 2001 and 1953 live radio appearances. The year also marks the start of the CAFFE TRIESTE THURSDAY NIGHT CONCERT SERIES for new and re-emerging acts; soon, artists from across the country inquire about appearing.
2008: Caffé Trieste opens in downtown San Jose, the first location in the South Bay Area.
2009: Caffe Trieste opens in the Piedmont Avenue shopping district of Oakland, Ca.
2011: Caffe Trieste opens in historic downtown Monterey, Ca.
References
- ^ "50 Years of Art and Coffee" by Cecilia M. Vega, San Francisco Chronicle, April 1, 2006 [1]
- ^ Mick Sinclair, San Francisco: A Cultural and Literary History (Signal Books, 2004), page 176
- ^ Ira Nowinski with Charles Wehrenberg, Rebecca Solnit, et al., Ira Nowinski's San Francisco, The Bancroft Library/Heyday Books, Berkeley, p.56/57, ISBN 1-59714-040-6
- ^ Ira Nowinski with Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Allen Ginsberg, et al., Cafe Society: Photographs and Poetry from San Francisco's North Beach, A Seefood Studios Book, San Francisco 1978, ISBN 0-916860-05-1
- ^ "50 Years of Art and Coffee"