Carmel-by-the-Sea traded its usual Sunday quiet for a street feast on October 11, 2026, when the Pèpe family shut down the entire block in front of Vesuvio, their Italian restaurant across from Devendorf Park, and set a single long table for 100 guests. The inaugural fundraiser, called Tutti a Tavola! (Italian for “everyone to the table”), benefited the Carmel Mission Foundation, where family patriarch Rich Pèpe serves as board chair.
The lunch sold out at its 100-seat limit, and the guest list read like a who’s who of the Monterey Peninsula: local entrepreneurs, notable residents, and socialites seated shoulder to shoulder for a three-hour, family-style, multi-course lunch.
Italian Ferraris lined the curb out front, including a red F355 and a blue F430 Spider wearing Pèpecello livery, parked beside a pair of Vespa scooters, one branded for Little Napoli. Mike Marotta’s band provided the live music on violin, vocals, and accordion.
A Table That Recalls New Jersey Sundays
Rich Pèpe, who founded the family’s restaurant group with his wife, Sandra, welcomed guests with the story behind the long table.
He said, “I’m so proud of my Italian American heritage. All my grandparents came over on the boat from Italy before World War One, settled on the East Coast in New Jersey, and with them they brought their love of Italy and their Italian traditions. And this table reminds me of growing up when my family, both sides of my large Italian family, would get together. My mom had five sisters, my dad had eight brothers and sisters, and we had 28 first cousins. We got together every Sunday. There were just so many cousins and aunts and uncles and extended family members. We had the ladies in the kitchen cooking, and the dads and the uncles in the backyard smoking cigars, playing cards, and just shooting the breeze, so to speak, and all the cousins causing mayhem, playing ball. And then when the grandmother said ‘Tutti a tavola!’ everybody ran to find a seat at the table.”
He closed on what he called the proudest part of that family: “Their love. Not only were they Italians, but they became Italian Americans. They became Americans, and they were so proud of that. And it’s really fitting right now that we have the Italian flag right behind me, because a day doesn’t go by that I say God bless America, and I hope you all agree with that. So welcome, everybody.”
The Pasta Parade
His son Christian Pèpe, who runs the family’s restaurants alongside his brother Gian and was named Best Bartender in the Carmel Pine Cone’s Golden Pine Cone awards, opened the meal in Italian, saying: “Signore e signori, gentili ospiti, benvenuti a questa grande festa sulla strada che si chiama Tutti a Tavola!” Then he introduced a family tradition.
“We’re going to honor a tradition we call the pasta parade. Everyone’s going to participate. The pasta is going to come out all at once. The band is going to play una bella tarantella, and then everybody is going to get your napkin, and we’re going to wave them around like this for the duration of the song. Buon appetito!”
On cue, the pasta arrived in a single procession, the band struck up a tarantella, and 100 red-and-white gingham napkins went up along the length of the table. It was quite the festive atmosphere and a perfect way to get guests to loosen up and have fun. At that point, everyone was smiling ear to ear, waving their napkin in the air, and getting into the spirit of the day.
The Menu
The lunch followed the rhythm of an Italian-American Sunday, with platters passed down the table course by course.
Antipasti: Saffron arancini finished in a Parmigiano wheel; strawberry and goat cheese crostini; mini crab cakes with chipotle aioli.
Primi: Gnocchi “Avellino” with Gorgonzola and sage; Pesto “Genovese” with Vesuvio pasta; spicy rigatoni alla vodka “Jackie O.”
Secondi: Grandma Celia’s meatballs; house-made fennel sausage and peppers; eggplant parmigiana; insalata misticanza.
La Dolce Vita: Tiramisù sul tagliere, a family-size tiramisù tied with an Italian tricolor ribbon and served on a wooden board to share; Pèpecello organic limoncello.
Vini da Tavola: Pèpe Sauvignon Blanc and Pèpe “Vesuvio” Cabernet Blend, both estate-grown and bottled on Atlas Peak in Napa.
The Pèpe Family Legacy in Carmel
Rich Pèpe started working in his uncle’s bakery in New Jersey as a teen and still describes himself as a baker first and a chef second. Even to this day, you can find him on early mornings baking pastries in the kitchen.
He arrived in Carmel in 1974, took a job at Wishart’s Bakery on Ocean Avenue, and set his sights on the village’s oldest retail business, Carmel Bakery.
Established in 1899, before Carmel was incorporated as a city, the bakery has had only a handful of owners in its history. Rich bought it in the late 1980s, and it remains the oldest business in Carmel still operating in its original location. It’s become so popular in recent years (ever since HBO’s hit show, Big Little Lies, featuring Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon, based on the Monterey Peninsula) that I jokingly say, “The bakery must be rolling in dough”, as it always has a line out the door these days.
The bakery launched what locals now call the Pèpe restaurant empire. Little Napoli opened in 1990, followed by Vesuvio in 2011 and Vino Napoli. Today Pèpe International is run by Rich, Sandra, and their sons Christian and Gian, who grew up in the bakery and restaurant kitchens before taking the helm.
The family’s business extends well beyond the dining room. The Pèpes also own and produce Pèpecello limoncello and Pèpe wines, including the Atlas Peak bottlings poured at lunch, along with a line of packaged Pèpe food products distributed in retail stores.
Vesuvio, named for the volcano above the Bay of Naples, serves wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, house-made ravioli, and family recipes the Pèpes describe as Italian countryside with a Jersey attitude. It has two bars, including the rooftop bar, and has collected Golden Pine Cones awards for Best Italian Restaurant, Best Pizza, and Best Happy Hour, along with Monterey County Weekly’s Best Place to Eavesdrop.
My family has been a regular at Vesuvio and the Pèpes’ other restaurants for many years, marking family dinners, birthdays, and holidays at their tables. The attentive service and hospitality make every guest feel welcome; the setting always exudes a lively tone, and the food is the reason it stays one of the busiest addresses in town.
Aside from being a bustling hotspot for locals and tourists year-round, during the AT&T Pro-Am Golf Tournament in years past, celebrities including Bill Murray were known to hold court with fans on the Starlight Lounge rooftop bar, drawing raving fans. Joining the family for their inaugural fundraiser, with the proceeds going to the Carmel Mission, made this visit especially meaningful.
Why the Carmel Mission Matters
The Carmel Mission Foundation was established in 2008 to restore and preserve the historic buildings, grounds, and artifacts of the Carmel Mission, founded in 1771. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity, independent of any religious organization.
The Mission itself is a U.S. National Historic Landmark and a California State Landmark, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It served as Father Junípero Serra’s headquarters for the California mission system.
As I’ve come to learn, the story began more than a century earlier. In 1603, explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno and a group of Carmelite friars held the first Mass in Monterey beneath a large oak, naming landmarks including the Santa Lucia Mountains, Point Lobos, and the Carmel River along the way.
Settlement plans stalled for 167 years. In 1770, Gaspar de Portolá and Father Serra found Vizcaíno’s oak and established the Presidio of Monterey and Mission San Carlos. The oak died in 1904, and a preserved branch is on display in the Mission Museum today.
Since 2008, the Foundation has provided more than $14 million toward restoration across the Mission property, including the structural restoration of the Basilica, the rejuvenation of the Quadrangle Courtyard, the restoration of nine mission bells in the two bell towers, the century-old Downie Museum adobe, the Basilica Forecourt Garden, and the creation of the Serra Memorial Circle. Eight historic structures still need restoration, including four museums, California’s first library, the historic Orchard House property, and art and artifacts dating back to 1568.
Everyone to the Table
In addition to being a fundraiser for the Carmel Mission Foundation, the “Tutti a Tavola!” Italian-American Sunday Lunch created an atmosphere of congeniality and kinship that reflects the intention of a long family table – bringing people together to create joyful moments and a sense of community. In summary, Vesuvio and the Pèpe family hosted a memorable celebration that embodies what life in Carmel-by-the-Sea is all about: family, friendship, fun, and philanthropic efforts that benefit iconic local landmarks.
[Complimentary media access c/o Vesuvio. Image credits: Christina-Lauren Pollack. All opinions are my own.]