Caffe Piazza

From Their Family To Your Table

Antonio Ruffa grew up in Calabria, Italy in a large family, where the foundation of his cooking came from his mother, Francesca. He went on to formally train and graduate from the Institute Alberghiero of State with a degree in Art and Culinary Sciences, honed his skills at hotels in Milano Marittima, and arrived in the United States in 1993.

A few years later, he landed in Hillsborough and in 1996 took a chef position at a restaurant that had opened as Cafe Pizza before quickly rebranding to Caffe Piazza to set itself apart from the pizzerias already crowding the local market. By 2000, the owner had seen enough to bring Antonio on as a partner. By the mid-2000s he was running Caffe Piazza entirely on his own, and has been ever since.

The restaurant serves Italian and Mediterranean fare built around housemade ingredients, including pasta, gnocchi, sausage, and cannoli. The menu stretches from casual weeknight dinners to multi-course private events, and the kitchen has built a reputation around a handful of dishes that guests mention by name, including the beef short ribs, fried burrata, ossobuco, and tiramisu. For the kind of dish that conjures up a family gathering on a Sunday afternoon, there is the Sunday Stufato, a slow-cooked ragu with beef braciole, meatballs, and house sausage, available every day.

It is BYOB, with outdoor patio seating alongside the main dining room. In 2007, Antonio expanded into full-service catering under the CP Caterings name, growing what had been a minor part of the business into a substantial operation that now handles everything from birthday parties and baby showers to large private celebrations.

Antonio settled in Hillsborough and raised his children here. He runs the restaurant largely as a family operation, with his son Gregory deeply involved by his side. His daughters, Michaela, Isabella, and Brianna, also help welcome and serve guests, adding to the family feel of the place. The rest of the team is made up of close friends and people who have grown up around the restaurant. Guests who have walked through the door for years tend to describe the experience the same way: they treat you like family.