From musings on restaurant ideas over pizza bites, a running gag took a serious turn when a space was identified and within months an idea began to take form. That idea is today Lucca Italian Restaurant inside the Annex at Fairview in Montego Bay.

Lucca Italian Restaurant co-owner Shanay Peart sat down with Thursday Food inside the whimsically decorated restaurant and discussed the life of the restaurant.

“I’m originally from Kingston, a food lover, and accustomed to more dining options than what I was finding in MoBay. This was back in 2019. There was a couple from Europe and they were our neighbours at the time. We began to discuss opening a restaurant and it became an inside joke till one day our husbands came back and said they found a space.

“We opened in September 2019, and it was a blast. We had a lot of support, even though the space wasn’t as nice as it is now. The restaurant was full and we had people standing outside waiting to come in. Then, sadly, COVID came and everything went downhill. I was here with only the chef, on most days. However, we made it through and now we’re on the mend,” Peart explained.

“We’re extremely customer service-centric, as we try to accommodate our diners; we’ll have customers that request gluten- and cheese-free dishes and we still do our best to give them that Italian experience. Ours is a fusion menu to incorporate Jamaican favourites; some of our top sellers are the salt fish arancini, the jerk chicken, and pork pizza as well. We maintain the freshest ingredients, our supplies come from local farms, and the sauces and pastas are made in-house by our chef. We do everything done-to-order and that gives us our always-fresh taste,” Peart added.

Peart also shared that the company is looking to expand to Kingston, adding more variety to the wine selection and incorporating terrace dining to the Montego Bay offerings. Customers can also book a pizza making experience at the restaurant.

“We offer pizza experiences and customers can make their own pizza with our chef. You’re given your own pizza dough, choice of toppings to make your pizza, as well as putting it in the oven. At the end of it you also get a certificate and the opportunity to have some fun with your friends.

Lucca Italian Restaurant Chef Dermain Barrett touched on his cooking style and the foundation for his dishes.

“My cooking style is authentic. I develop my flavours; the structure in creating a balanced meal is building flavours. To where it can be sweet and sour and you’re able to taste and appreciate all those flavours. I’m able to achieve this by using the freshest ingredients. I hand-pick all my vegetables; I’m very precise in my choices as I have to consider my customers,” Barrett explained.

Lucca Italian Restaurant at the Annex

Mondays – Saturdays 12:00 noon – 10:00 pm

Dining closes at 9:00 pm

Kitchen closes at 9:30 pm

Photos: Aceion Cunningham