From Gaeta to Nha Trang
Every year, Salvatore’s mother comes to Nha Trang for a couple of months. Everyone at Bottega 26 calls her Nonna Titina. When she’s here, she still steps into the kitchen to give our team a cooking lesson. Many of our recipes come from her, and we’re lucky to learn them with her standing beside us.
Salvatore grew up by the sea in Gaeta, Italy. His father and uncle were fishermen. Ask him about the food we serve at Bottega and the idea is simple. When the ingredients are good, the less you do to them, the better they taste. Take a panino. You should be able to taste the bread, the cold cuts and the cheese in every bite.
Our roots at La Cala
Salvatore and his friend Nicola had been living in Vietnam since 2015. They came from Southern Italian families with roots in farming, fishing and hospitality. In the summer of 2019, they opened their first restaurant together in Nha Trang. They called it La Cala.
They wanted to bring a small corner of Southern Italy to the city they’d made their home. The architecture of the Aeolian Islands inspired the design. In the kitchen, they drew on the recipes and techniques of their mothers and grandmothers. In the dining room, they wanted people to feel welcome and take their time over dinner.
That story extends to northern Nha Trang with La Cala Mare. Both La Cala restaurants share a love of Italian food around the dinner table. Here at Bottega 26, Salvatore wanted to share another side of Italian life, the comfort food and street food we reach for every day.
A day at Bottega 26
In the morning, people come to our deli and bakery for brunch and specialty coffee. By lunchtime, you might stop in for a slice of freshly baked pizza or a panino. We bake our bread and focaccia daily and slice our imported Italian cold cuts and cheeses fresh at the deli counter. Sometimes a good piece of focaccia and a few slices from the counter are all lunch needs.
In the evening, the pace changes. Upstairs, our wine lounge opens onto a terrace where you can settle in for a glass of wine or a cocktail. One drink in particular has made a name for itself around Nha Trang. Nonna Titina brought her limoncello recipe from home, and we use it in our Limoncello Spritz. If the spritz is what first brought you to Bottega, you have Nonna Titina to thank.