Paul Cafaro rounds out a stellar kitchen crew at Stanza. With deep roots in New Orleans from Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse to Muriel's Jackson Square, he fine tunes each plate before it reaches the dining room, ensuring each bite is delicious and mouthwatering. He cooked in Florida kitchens of Catches Waterfront Grille, Panera and Johnny Carino's Italian, honing his culinary skills.
A graduate of the University of Tampa with studies in English and writing, he takes his passion direct to plate. Michael's love of people shines through in all he does. He's a seasoned manager with profound expertise in creating stellar customer experiences through training, teamwork and his sharp attention to detail.
A graduate of the University of Tampa with studies in English and writing, he takes his passion direct to plate. Michael's love of people shines through in all he does. He's a seasoned manager with profound expertise in creating stellar customer experiences through training, teamwork and his sharp attention to detail.
Services
Stanza Italian Bistro is seeking to fill the position for Pantry and Line Cook. Experience is preferred but will be willing to train an interested individual with a desire to learn. Hours are for nights 3pm to 10 p.m. 5 days a week. Please, contact Chef Jonathan LeBlanc of Chef Paul Cafaro between the hours of 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. M-F with a resume of your experience.
Reviews (10)
MACTackleBox
Jan 26, 2022
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Far better than I expected. The meatballs in the Polpette appetizer were Huge and very delicious. They came with garlic bread and an olive and artichoke salad. It was enought to fill us and we though about cancelling our order for rigatoni, but we're not quitters. ;) The rigatoni portion was Gigantic! We split it and still took enough back to our place to have for another dinner. The bolognese was flavorful as close to authentic as I have seen in a long time. The ambiance was very nice here, too. We sat and chatted over a drink. It was lovely, we'll be back!!
Steven McIntyre
Jan 23, 2022
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Stanza has a simple, modern elegance about it. We had a reservation and there was no wait at all. The food menu is interesting but short enough to fit on a single page, which was rather nice.
We started off with a sort of breaded sausage meatball as an appetizer and I knew we had found an excellent restaurant.
The flavors were exquisite, and the presentation was amazing, for every dish.
The really amazing part was the desert. Gelato is available all over, but not many places have such distinct and exciting flavors (the berry was our favorite).
And throughout the evening, Drew made sure that
We started off with a sort of breaded sausage meatball as an appetizer and I knew we had found an excellent restaurant.
The flavors were exquisite, and the presentation was amazing, for every dish.
The really amazing part was the desert. Gelato is available all over, but not many places have such distinct and exciting flavors (the berry was our favorite).
And throughout the evening, Drew made sure that
Amy K.
Jan 20, 2022
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From all the positive reviews and word of mouth, I am so confused about our experience. We made reservations for a night on our honeymoon and were looking forward to this dinner all week.
There were many staff members lounging at the front desk on their phones when we came in. Then the staff acted like they were overly hurried trying to get us to our table and made us feel like we had put them out. The moment we sat down our waiter tried to take our order, before we even had a chance to pick up our menu. I was still taking off my coat. Not just a drink order, but the full food order. I know with
There were many staff members lounging at the front desk on their phones when we came in. Then the staff acted like they were overly hurried trying to get us to our table and made us feel like we had put them out. The moment we sat down our waiter tried to take our order, before we even had a chance to pick up our menu. I was still taking off my coat. Not just a drink order, but the full food order. I know with
S. K.
Dec 24, 2021
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Good service. Recommend the lasagna, beautiful presentation the cheese is really creamy. Antica formula was not like the vermouth I have had before, not served refreshing on ice like spain. I am ambivalent about it maybe it’s not as much to my liking. The dessert tiramisu was missing from the menu to my surprise, tried the chocol cannolis and not a hit. The crust had to be stabbed hard repeatedly to crack the shell, felt like I was attacking a crab lol.
Chelsea N.
Dec 23, 2021
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Always looking for fun restaurants for Ladies Night and Stanza checked all the boxes!
》》What I ordered - The Butternut Squash Gnocchi, The Winter Burrata and We all split The Arancini. 《《
The Butternut Squash Gnocchi was super soft and coated with a beautiful sage brown butter sauce. Then loaded up with brandied cranberries, wild mushrooms and duroc bacon. Mix in the honey hazelnut goat cheese and it's a perfect fall dish!
The Winter Burrata was my absolute favorite out of everything I ate. I legit haven't stopped thinking about it. The greens are tossed in champagne vinegarette which
》》What I ordered - The Butternut Squash Gnocchi, The Winter Burrata and We all split The Arancini. 《《
The Butternut Squash Gnocchi was super soft and coated with a beautiful sage brown butter sauce. Then loaded up with brandied cranberries, wild mushrooms and duroc bacon. Mix in the honey hazelnut goat cheese and it's a perfect fall dish!
The Winter Burrata was my absolute favorite out of everything I ate. I legit haven't stopped thinking about it. The greens are tossed in champagne vinegarette which
Rylie Eames
Nov 25, 2021
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All I can say is wow. My husband and I went for lunch and ordered almost all of the small plates thinking that we were going to take some home... wrong. We at all of it plus more. Service was incredible (Maricela was our server) and the restaurant itself was beautiful. The manager (Michael) was helpful and amazing also. Thank you for a GREAT lunch!!
Christie Wnukowski
Nov 15, 2021
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If you're looking for something light and quality, this place is for you!
My husband and I went here for our anniversary. The vibe is very cool and modern. We both ordered the duck, which was delicious! I'd never had duck prepared with a nice crispy skin and tender middle! The portion was small relative to comparable-in-price Italian restaurants we've had in the area so we still had quite an appetite after. After we got a dessert menu, we noticed other tables had bread (which we never got and were kind of bummed about). Ultimately, we left happy with the meal and friendly waiter but seeking a
My husband and I went here for our anniversary. The vibe is very cool and modern. We both ordered the duck, which was delicious! I'd never had duck prepared with a nice crispy skin and tender middle! The portion was small relative to comparable-in-price Italian restaurants we've had in the area so we still had quite an appetite after. After we got a dessert menu, we noticed other tables had bread (which we never got and were kind of bummed about). Ultimately, we left happy with the meal and friendly waiter but seeking a
Rose Ellen
Sep 22, 2021
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The duck breast was outstanding! It was cooked perfectly, not dry at all. The appetizer we ordered had melon, prosciutto, and candied watermelon. I would’ve rated the restaurant a 5 based on the food, but the service was not so great. It took so long for us to receive our food and we had to keep asking for things multiple times. They automatically charged a 20% gratuity for our group of 8 and the service we received did not warrant that at all.
Matt Christensen
Aug 21, 2021
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A co-worker recommended Stanza, and it did not dissapoint. One of the best Italian restaurants in the state.
I ordered the Caesar Salad and the Bucatini Alla Carbonara. My wife ordered the Tomato Basil Bisque and a seasonal entree that was stuffed pasta shells, stuffed with cheese, crab, and shrimp, and then covered with a saffron sauce. All of the food was very good, and was enough for leftovers :).
The staff was very friendly.
I ordered the Caesar Salad and the Bucatini Alla Carbonara. My wife ordered the Tomato Basil Bisque and a seasonal entree that was stuffed pasta shells, stuffed with cheese, crab, and shrimp, and then covered with a saffron sauce. All of the food was very good, and was enough for leftovers :).
The staff was very friendly.
Stephanie Schaffer
Jun 26, 2021
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This is an excellent place to get over those COVID jitters. We had our first post-COVID "dine-in" here because we could make a guaranteed patio reservation and rely on the outdoor air to make us feel comfortable. When we arrived at 7:30 the whole patio was nicely shaded so even in this heat we had a great time. The menu at Stanza is very well suited for summer. Everything tasted so refreshing, versus heavy. The food was fantastic, the cocktails inspired, and the wine list is very good. I took photos of their entire drinks menu for my own use at home, and I don't do that often. The staff were wonderful
