Caci Opens Shelter Island Location Just in Time for Summer 2018

The owners of Italian eatery Caci North Fork in Southold (56125 Main Road) have opened a second location, Caci Shelter Island, at the historic and luxury boutique hotel, The Shelter Island House, located at 11 Stearns Point Road in Shelter Island Heights.

Caci Shelter Island plans to offer a seasonally inspired menu featuring authentic Northern Italian cuisine by Umbrian-born Executive Chef Marco Pellegrini that is simplistic, inventive and dedicated to all things fresh and house-made. Specialties include locally sourced and imported Italian ingredients along with house made pasta, gnocchi, bread and gelato. Pellegrini will be Executive Chef to both Caci locations, maintaining a consistent menu and dining experience for the brand.

Short for Cacioppo, Caci is owned by husband and wife Anthony and Daniele Cacioppo; and Joseph and Kelly Cacioppo. The restaurant’s partnership with The Shelter Island House came about organically—Joseph has known the hotel’s owners, sisters Suzanne Walsh and Janet Rogler, going all the way back to childhood. Both families grew up in Garden City and spent their summers on the East End, sharing the same experiences and traditions of raising several generations of family on both the North Fork and Shelter Island.

“After several discussions regarding both businesses, it became apparent that Caci taking over restaurant operations at Shelter Island House would be a winning collaboration and a complement for both Caci and The Shelter Island House brands, and happened at just the right time for us to expand,” Anthony Cacioppo says. “We have always loved visiting Shelter Island, and the historic charm of this graciously restored inn really attracted us to the opportunity to have our second location here.”

Daniele and Anthony Cacioppo had been in search of the right partner to open up a restaurant on the North Fork since 1995 when they bought their first home in Southold. “We never thought that we would find him years later while in Italy on vacation,” Daniele says, explaining how they met Pellegrini. “It was a magical connection, Marco’s authentic and simple style was exactly what we were in search of, and the moment Marco described his philosophy of ‘One Actor,’ we asked Marco to take a look at the North Fork and the wheels started turning.”

Since bringing his family from Italy to open Caci North Fork in 2014, Pellegrini has infused his Northern Italian background into the seasonal and locally-sourced menu. Growing up in the picturesque town of Foligno, located in the center of the Italian peninsula, Pellegrini made the decision to become a chef at a very young age. During stints at a number of highly acclaimed restaurants throughout Italy, he learned to research and select the finest ingredients by forging bonds with local farmers.

“I am inspired by the agriculture and aquaculture the North Fork offers, and believe that the access to these fresh ingredients provides me the opportunities to create an unforgettable dining experience,” Pellegrini says. “I am really looking forward to bringing this unique menu, as well as tastes of Central and Northern Italy, to Shelter Island.”

“We love the ability to source as many local ingredients as possible and utilize the wonderful bounties from the North Fork region while combining them with authentic Italian ingredients,” Danielle Cacioppo, who is overseeing the opening of Caci Shelter Island, says, noting that their restaurants receive deliveries from Italy every week and source locally as much as possible. “We built Caci North Fork with the vision of expansion and the underlying concept that Caci North Fork would be the central location for all the food, sourcing local produce, food prep and production,” she continues. “When the opportunity was presented to open Caci Shelter Island, we all agreed that this was the perfect timing for Caci to grow.”

Caci Shelter Island will offer their North Fork location’s Wine Spectator Award of Excellence-winning wine list featuring North Fork and Italian wines, along with local and Italian beers on tap or by the bottle, as well as seasonal craft cocktails.

While Caci Shelter Island has been operating since May, the restaurant’s grand opening is set for Memorial Day Weekend. The restaurant plans to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Guests can choose to be seated in any of the three dining rooms, cozy bar area or spacious covered patio. A Happy Hour menu is available at the bar, which can also be enjoyed in the outdoor lounge or bocce court, Thursday–Monday, 3–5 p.m.

Call 631-749-5659 or visit cacishelterisland.com for more info.