When I first went to Bravo Italiano in Central City to meet Steve Tricarico, our interview was interrupted by a Spice Girl. Pop star Mel B and a BBC television crew were filming a new documentary, traveling through Colorado, and had stopped into Tricarico’s shop. Within minutes the small storefront was packed, as Tricarico gladly made espressos and provided everyone with samples of decadent sorbets and marzipan candies.
For two hours, members of the production crew continually came into the shop for a coffee or chai and a quiet place to sit for lunch, and Tricarico happily obliged. I watched him ask one customer after another if they had tried any of his balsamic vinegars or olive oils, directing them to a table displayed with several bottles and a bowl of breadsticks.
I sat and waited and enjoyed a chocolate gelato truffle, dusted with cocoa powder. I looked at all the classic Italian advertisements and art that adorned the walls, and nervously spun the handles on the shop’s foosball table, which Tricarico uses to play daily matches against Central City’s mayor. I sampled a wonderful Blood Orange Olive Oil and just as I had a moment to tell Tricarico how much I enjoyed it, he was already bringing me samples of his Roasted Tomato Pesto.
Bravo Italiano and Caffe 42 is located at 109 Eureka Street in one of Central City’s beautiful historic buildings; you’ll know it when you hear Elvis’s music coming from the open door.
“Elvis Presley and Italian food inspire me,” Tricarico told The Mountain-Ear. Though it’s very obvious that there’s more to it, as evident by how Tricarico couldn’t stop himself from offering me samples as he talked about his inventory.
“I love sharing the food, that’s my passion here. I’m not even worried about making money. I know I’m not going to get rich off of it but I’ve always had this food to share. If I can have people come in and just try my stuff that makes a good day for me.”
When asked to tell his backstory before opening Bravo Italiano and Caffe 42, Tricarico wonders how far to go back, as he’s lived many different lives before ever considering having his own shop.
“I did sheet metal work and HVAC for 11 years right out of high school, then sprained my neck and I couldn’t do that anymore. The state paid for Blackjack dealing classes, so I came up here and I dealt poker and blackjack for quite a few years in all the casinos,” Tricarico continued recounting the many sudden health problems that would attempt to derail his life.
“I got Guillain-Barre syndrome and was paralyzed for two years.” Guillain- Barré syndrome is a very rare condition in which the immune system attacks the nerves, causing ascending paralysis.
“It took me eight years to recover and then I found out that that was my first onset of MS,” Tricarico remembered the diagnosis causing him to change his profession yet again, working at the Post Office in Black Hawk delivering mail for four years. He then suffered a loss of vision in his left eye due to complications with MS.
However, Tricarico has come through the COVID pandemic a changed man after learning that his MS treatment had caused his immune system to be compromised.
“So I’ve been pharmaceutical-free since and I feel great. I’m getting my eyesight back and I think it’s just because I’m happy.”
Tricarico never planned for a lot of what has happened to him throughout his life, including having his own premium Italian foods store. But since opening his doors in January of 2022, he feels truly thankful to be in a happier and healthier place in his life.
“I didn’t plan any of this, really. I hit a $3000 finalist entry. I spun the wheel down at the Sasquatch, and when I got that money I decided I was going to try and sell ice cream and maybe someday I’ll have a market. And I was able to do it with that $3000, I actually still have a little bit of that left.”
But Tricarico had a whole lot more to offer than ice cream; so much so that members of the community rallied behind him to help him expand his business.
“Throughout my whole life, in between working sheet metal or the post office, I always worked for my cousin’s food warehouse. They’ve been at it for 45 years,” Tricarico said, talking about his cousin Chris Lurita and Italco Food Products Inc. “They supply food to all the fancy restaurants in Aspen and Vail; and they would do the Lavazza coffee. They would supply the machines and then I would go service the machines all around the state.”
Bravo Italiano is Tricarico’s name for the portion of his shop dedicated to authentic Italian foods, from the gelato and sorbets, where he began, to pastas, oils, and sauces. Tricarico also stocks fresh cheeses and, on the day of our interview, was showing off a recent delivery of Waygu Beef Salami.
Caffe 42 is the portion of the shop dedicated to coffee and espresso, all from the Italian brand Lavazza. Tricarico’s previous experience with old, classic espresso machines has made him an official barista, trained how to precisely brew classic Italian espresso.
“We would get a brand new machine, say for a restaurant in Breckenridge, and before we would even bring it up there we’d set it up at the warehouse and make sure everything worked right. So I had to learn how to be a barista.”
Throughout his many hardships, Tricarico has always been faithful that he would be seen through them. Now that he has his own storefront, he’s incredibly grateful to all those who supported him and lifted him up.
“My cousin has been such a wonderful friend all my life and so willing to help me. He’s just awesome and such a great guy.” Tricarico also thanked his business neighbor Dutch, Central City Mayor Jeremy Fey, and Eric Chinn for getting him started.
But apart from his faith and his gratitude, it’s clear that Tricarico’s love for sharing good food with others comes from a deeper place.
“No one could come into my mom’s house without eating something, and that’s how I guess I’ve been trained, Tricarico said. “I don’t care if they come in and buy something or not, they’re not getting out unless they try my candies, my balsamics, the pesto, crackers, coffee; they’re gonna have something because that’s what I do.”
Apart from being Central City’s newest business, Bravo Italiano and Caffe 42 is a truly special place. This was made obvious not just by Mel B and her film crew and how they just couldn’t stay away, but also by how the locals I talked to all insisted I go in and meet Tricarico. All of the shop’s neighbors, as well as Mayor Jeremy Fey, had nothing but kind words and glowing recommendations. It’s impossible to deny that Tricarico’s passion for sharing food combined with the quality of the food he offers makes for an amazing experience.
Bravo Italiano and Caffe 42 is located at 109 Eureka Street in Central City and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. For more information call 720-357-7104.
Sponsored by Gilpin County Commissioners, with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
