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Business & Tech

Bellissimo Café: Italian Done Light

Michael Nogueira chats about his newest enterprise, Bellissimo Café and Catering.

Spring is almost here, with its longer days and warmer weather. Fashion and food forecasts are trending toward the fresh and bright. And Michael Nogueira’s just-opened dinner-only is perfectly conceived and timed for the transition to a new season.

Bellissimo is traditional Italian food done light. The menu is simple and straightforward—and the list of always-available main dishes has been pared down to two popular choices: poultry and pasta. The entrees pair fresh, tender chicken breasts with lighter-than-usual variations of classic preparations. In the Piccata, for instance, the taste of lemon really shines. The Milanese is finely breaded, moist and flavorful without extra oil or the extra calories.

Bellissimo is light on the wallet as well. The entrees, all $12, come with a romaine-based salad, vegetables, “house bread” (a positively addictive pizza bread topped with pesto and mozzarella) and your choice of mashed potatoes or pasta.

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The mashed potatoes are tasty—but unless you’re on a wheat-free diet you’ll want to opt for the side of pasta, which you can mix and match from Bellissimo’s other menu staple: the “Build Your Own Pasta Dish”. Also available as a $12 entrée, diners can pick one of six pastas, including gnocchi, ravioli and pappardalle, then top with one of eight sauces: everything from pesto and marinara to Bolognese and Carbonara to Gambori with Shrimp.

Bellissimo also offers a daily, market-driven, non-poultry dinner special, such as steak, pork chops or pesto-topped salmon (a favorite of Bellissimo’s manager and catering director Priscilla Acosta). The specials top out at $14. If available, Le Cordon Bleu chef Angel Garcia’s lasagna is a must try. The noodle is thin and perfectly al dente, enrobed in a delicate sauce that complements the generous layer of ricotta cheese without overpowering it.

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Despite the main meal temptations, you’ll want to save room for dessert. In addition to bread pudding and tiramisu, you can choose from Le Cordon Bleu pastry chef Maile Morales’ constantly changing selection of delectable pastries, ranging from cobbler to cake to macarons or a grab-and-go bag of bite-sized chocolate cookies from Corene Rodriguez’s Kiki’s Cookies, which are available in flavors such as Cran-Cherry, Coconut Dream and Smores.

Bellissimo has been open for a little more than three weeks but the catering side of the operation, the newest addition to Nogueira's , has been going strong since November, supplying one-stop party supplies and services for functions at , the , and as well as private and public events outside Eagle Rock.

Nogueira, who is known as Eagle Rock unofficial mayor, started out with a classic car service in 1983. He expanded to party supplies and rentals in 1995, convinced that catering was the next logical addition to his business, especially because clients frequently asked him what catering services he recommended. Besides, as someone who pays scrupulous attention to details large and small, Nogueira felt the best way to guarantee an all-around quality event was to open a catering arm.

Nogueira brought in Raoul Cudich, a 37-year veteran of the catering business, as a consultant. Prospective clients can schedule food tastings at Bellissimo and, notes Nogueira, to help clients implement their perfect party plan, he can bring a wide variety of kitchen equipment to the event site, from convection ovens to deep fryers to barbecues.

Nogueira is dedicated to helping clients recognize their party vision, whether the theme is Mexican fiesta or Polynesian tiki. He routinely visits wedding sites to advise prospective brides and grooms about what they might need. And last year, Nogueira hunted down authentic, twelve-foot-tall, gas street lamps for a Mardi Gras event in La Canada.

It’s hard to believe that a man with so much on his plate would have a second to spare. In addition to running the now-expanded Sir Michael’s Enterprises, Nogueira is the president of the Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce, vice-president of the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council—and he runs the weekly Friday night Farmers Market.

“There are those who ask, ‘Why?’” says Nogueira, paraphrasing Robert F. Kennedy. “I ask, ‘Why not?’”

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