Most married couples say they could not work together, let alone open four successful restaurants in 20 years. But most couples are not Frank and Katherine Pugliese, whose latest popular eatery is Un Amore on the outskirts of Christiansted.
The couple met while working at Tutto Bene in the 1990’s. Before that, Frank worked at Mill Harbor and Katherine worked at Villa Madeline. They married in 1999.
In 1997, the Puglieses began their dynasty, opening Bacchus Restaurant in downtown Christiansted. The fine dining establishment, known for its superb food, was instantly popular.
After 10 years, Katherine and Frank sold their “baby.”
They took a two-year break, and then reopened the historically difficult-to-sustain restaurant at Cane Bay. Their patrons followed. Eat @ Cane Bay began a trend for Sunday “Reggae Brunch” and became famous for individualized burgers and salads.
Working in a kitchen the size of a closet, Frank and Katherine served overflowing crowds everyday. Their run at Eat lasted five years, and when they sold the beach bar, they moved back into Christiansted and opened Zion Modern Kitchen, formerly Kendricks.
After managing Zion for a year, they turned it over to the owner, Michael Ross and, having fulfilled a non-compete clause with the buyers of Eat @ Cane Bay, began working on a new concept. A cozy Italian restaurant sprang up at Five Corners. Frank learned to cook authentic Italian from his aunt and grandmother, and they used Bob Marley as a model, creating Un Amore or One Love, with the motto, “Lets get together and feel all right.”
Frank calls himself a “street trained” chef who began working in St. Croix restaurants at the age of 12 and spent four year working in high end hotels in Hawaii.
Katherine said she grew up in the restaurant and hospitality business and also learned by making mistakes.
They both credit mentors John McCormick, their first business partner, and Tony Cerruto, of Tutto Bene with helping them learn to manage and operate a restaurant.
One reason the Puglieses are successful is the respect they have for each other. They stay in their separate domains at work and “never fight in front of guests.” Frank said Katherine is his “inspiration,” and she said he “lets her badger and hen peck him.”
“When he digs in, it’s over,” Katherine added.
Frank said they have had some luck to survive a bad economy by moving out of Christiansted when they did. The next restaurant, Eat @ Cane Bay was a low-end investment and Zion was someone else’s investment. They also said they are lucky because “people came in and loved them.”
Their most expensive endeavor has been Un Amore, because it was built from the ground up. Only the walls existed when they began construction that included installing plumbing, a kitchen and bathrooms.
From all appearances, after 10 months, Un Amore is on its way to becoming a popular neighborhood restaurant and wine bar. The most ordered dish is Frank’s Bolognese with fish dishes and pizza also popular. Tiramisu is a favorite dessert and the olive oil cake with lemoncello is highly rated by those who try it, Katherine said.
The Puglieses say they don’t have a favorite restaurant although Bacchus has a special place in their hearts because it was first. They don’t know how long they will run Un Amore before someone comes forward and buys it, like the other establishments. If and when that happens, Frank said he already has ideas for the next endeavor.
