Italian-American Empire Builder Rich Pépe Chef and Restaurateur”

The founder of PèpeCello (please see LocalFoodEater.com), Rich Pépe  is the model of the successful American immigrant.    In his words:  “All of my grandparents emigrated from Avellino and Benevento in Southern Italy and came through Ellis Island before World War l. With them they brought their love and respect for Italy, its culture, cuisine and its warm, lively traditions.

“Growing up in Hoboken and Cliffside Park, New Jersey, some of my earliest memories are of our annual family gatherings to make the homemade wine. Both sides of my large Italian family would get together – the men in charge of the winemaking and the women in charge of making jam and jelly from the fresh grapes brought in from California.  During the day lots of last years’ wine would be tasted, Italian songs would be sung, jokes would be told and laughter filled the air.  I could only imagine that this is what life was like in Italy and was proud that my family brought a little bit of the “old country” with them to America.

He continued, “Not a bit of these lively traditions of Italy were lost on me. Coupling that with a childhood spent in a large Italian neighborhood and growing up working in a family bakery with my big brother and sister I have a great appreciation of the richness of our culinary heritage. I often like to say like to say, “I’m a baker by trade, a chef by passion”.  He concludes, “Io sono Italiano.” (I am Italian). Like any ethnic family, I am very proud of my heritage.”

Arriving on the Monterey Peninsula in 1974, Rich was immediately inspired by the bounty of the land and sea, hiking and biking whenever possible at the ocean.  He describes it as, “Being Italian, I was welcomed by the Sicilian fishermen families of Monterey and learned the appreciation of the fresh seafood available here and how to prepare the famed seafood stew called cioppino.    Not far away is Castroville which is called the “Artichoke Capital of the World”, and the Salinas Valley, rich in agriculture often referred to as “America’s Salad Bowl”.

In Carmel-by-the-Sea, Rich worked as a baker until he was able to purchase the historic Carmel Bakery in 1985, the oldest business in town having been established in 1899.  The story unfolds this way, “my wife Sandra and I then opened Little Napoli Bistro Italiano in 1990.  Pèppoli at Pebble Beach was opened in collaboration with famed Italian winemaker Marchese Piero Antinori and the Pebble Beach Company in 2000, followed by Vino Napoli Wine Bar in 2007 and Vesuvio Trattoria in 2010. Both of my sons, Christian and Gian Antonio, are an integral part of the family business as it enters its second generation.”

Rich Pèpe’s own son, Christian, has also made a name for  himself.  Known as “Doc” Pèpe, blends classic cocktails in carefully selected oak barrels where they are allowed to mellow and mature.  He is so meticulous in his Monterey, California facility that it is known as the  “Lab” in  These Single-Barrel cocktails are prepared according to the classic recipes and are aged in oak barrels based on the flavors of their previous contents. The result is a balanced, complex cocktail with a silky, smooth finish.

Rich’s son, Christian, known as “Doc” Pèpe for his cocktail blending in his facility, “The Lab”