Customers inspired a limited-edition cookbook celebrating Cafe Borgia’s 30th anniversary.
Released in September, “Cafe Borgia: Behind the Stove” features 20 of chef and co-owner Mike Jesso’s favorite recipes with work by renowned food photographer Dan Dry. There is also an illustrated time line of highlights showing the evolution of the restaurant, established on Dec. 24, 1986.
“I wrote the introductory text and time line throughout. Mike did all the recipes,” said Cafe Borgia co-owner Karen Jesso, who has been married to Mike Jesso for 31 years.
“We have such a strong base of regulars. They’re always asking us, ‘Would you give your recipe for this? Would you give your recipe for that?’ We started keeping track of what people were interested in knowing about.”
Here is the dish on this local eatery, which originated in Lansing, Illinois, and moved in 2007 to Munster where there was more kitchen space to create dishes such as stuffed pastas and more room for parking including accessible spots for the disabled:
On the menu: Italian specialties including caprese salad, chicken Vesuvio alla Romana, stuffed eggplant, roasted lamb shank, house-made limoncello, grilled mahi-mahi, and pan-roasted prosciutto and mozzarella rolls plus desserts such as tiramisu and zuccotto, a chocolate dome cake.
About the owners: “I didn’t have money so I worked my way through school. I always worked in food service because I could eat for free and get paid for working. I have had approximately 30 restaurant jobs,” said Karen Jesso, who earned several degrees including a master’s in business.
She and her husband also owned a food service concession at the University of Chicago where she went to school for a year. His background includes studying in Joliet Junior College’s Culinary Arts program in Illinois, finishing third in the annual National Restaurant Association’s chef competition at McCormick Place in Chicago and helping open Trattoria Roma in Chicago.
A mission statement: “Our goal is not to get the occasional diner. We want to give value. We want to make it affordable where people can come as often as they want to,” said Jesso, of Munster. “I can’t say enough about the crew and customers. They’ve become like family members and friends.”
Decor: “It’s a very artistic atmosphere starting with murals on the walls that are hand-painted. Those are done by Zoia O’Neill, a gal from Russia, and constantly evolving,” Jesso said. “Then the artistic blown-glass lampshades are done by Charles Lotton. His work’s in the Smithsonian Institute.”
Specialties: “Lasagna has taken over everything we used to offer in Lansing. Lasagna is such a popular thing. This one is homemade. People really do enjoy it,” said Jesso about the dish that Cafe Borgia started offering in 2009. Other popular items include apple and mixed green salad; apple strudel; Italian cassoulet; homemade amaretto cookies; classic Roman-style, thin and crispy pizza; pork scaloppine; homemade ravioli; risotto; shrimp and seashells; homemade soups and pan-roasted ruby red trout.
We’re different because: A chef’s garden yields vegetables and herbs for several dishes. “We get enough basil from that garden to make a pesto that gets us through the winter. All of the trees are fruit-bearing. Every year we’re trying new stuff,” said Jesso, noting that the most recent additions were eggplant and cabbage.
Prices: Start at $2 for toppings and spreads or dessert; $4 for appetizers or bruschetta; $5 for soup; $6 for salad; $12 for pasta, pizza or specialties; $18 for meat dishes and $20 for fish selections.
Logistics: Cafe Borgia is at 10018 Calumet Ave., Munster. Hours are 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily. Call 219-922-8889 or go to www.cafeborgia.com.
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Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.