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Dining Delights
Cucci's branches into Warm Springs
By Margo Oxendine, Staff Writer
 | | Cucci's at the Varsity was officially welcomed to Warm Springs by the Bath County Chamber of Commerce Monday morning. Pictured (l-r) are front row: the Cucci's staff: Boni Hise, Kathy George, Lisa Giebner, manager Giuseppi Cucci, Marcello De Benedetto, Crystal Gum and Chris Walton; back: Melinda Nichols, executive director of the chamber, Bath County administrator Bonnie Johnson, Warm Springs Supervisor Jon Trees, Pete Pitard of the chamber, and Susan Phillips of First National Bank in Hot Springs. (Recorder photo by Margo Oxendine) |
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WARM SPRINGS - For 30 years now, folks from Bath have been driving down to Covington for something special: Real homemade Italian food, made by real talented Sicilians.
Now, Bath folks need drive no further than Cucci's at the Varsity.
The menu is the same: Lip-smacking turnovers and pizzas, laden with homemade marinara sauce, lots of garlic, fresh ricotta cheese, and any number of toppings including, yes, Italian sausage.
And the bread, oh, the bread: That warm, yeasty, sweet Cucci bread, baked right on the premises, all day long.
 | | Giuseppi Cucci and Chris Walton prepare for a busy lunch in the Cucci's kitchen. (Recorder photo by Margo Oxendine) |
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Those who fell in love with the special sandwiches served before the Cucci clan leased the Varsity space won't be disappointed, either. The Teacher, the Referee, the Principal, the Librarian - they're all still on the menu, ready to eat there or take back to the office.
Speaking of the office, if you're working in one in Hot or Warm Springs, there's no need to take time away from your desk to go to lunch. Call (839-4000) or fax (839-8670) your order, and Cucci's will have it delivered hot and ready to eat.
Does it get any better than this?
Well, yes. Cucci's is open on Mondays. Ah, Monday - the day we used to have to pack our lunch, or pick up a sandwich to go from the Pit Stop, or the shop in Healing Springs. Now, the gang from the office can drive to Cucci's on Monday, hope to find a parking spot, go in, sit down, and enjoy whatever might tempt their tastebuds.
Since they opened their doors two months ago, Cucci's at the Varsity has been hopping. Drive by during lunch or the dinner hour, and raise your eyebrows at the crowd. Often, there truly is no place to park. Imagine the busy scene on a football Friday night.
 | | Anthony Di Benedetto delivers a hot, fresh turnover to Lee's Upholstery in Hot Springs. Lunch or dinner delivery to Warm and Hot Springs businesses is a new and welcome service of Cucci's at the Varsity. (Recorder photo by Margo Oxendine) |
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"We love it!" says manager Giuseppi Cucci, one son of Cucci's founder Victor, who can also, on occasion, be found elbow-deep in dough in the kitchen at Warm Springs. But Cucci's at the Varsity is Giuseppi's domain.
"People have been real welcoming to us," he says. "Even before we opened, when I was in here working to get the place ready, people would come in and tell me how glad they were that we were coming."
Well, now they're here. The official chamber of commerce ribbon-cutting was Monday morning, and the place was abuzz. That's because Cucci's was open for breakfast. Yes, breakfast lovers can now get bacon, eggs, and any other number of delightful day-starters on Monday mornings. Cucci's is open every day except Sundays, from 6:30 a.m. until 10 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday nights until 11 p.m.
"We had a lot of requests to start serving breakfast," Giuseppi says, "so we did that as soon as we were able. It's going real well." Breakfast is served until 10:30 a.m.
The fact that lunch or dinner can now be delivered to businesses in Bath is another testament to Cucci's business acumen.
"It's really no problem at all," Giuseppi shrugs. "I have my little cousin Anthony living right next door; he likes making deliveries. And if he's not available, I will send someone else out. We deliver to the high school, to the hos- pital, down on Main Street, just about anywhere" in the general area.
Asked about that famous Cucci bread, Giuseppi notes, "We make it every day fresh; we make our own dough; we make everything from scratch here. Nothing comes in frozen; it's all handmade. We start preparing it every morning, and really, we make bread all day long."
The restaurant tables fill the north end of the building; on the south end are grocery items, wines, and special "Made in Virginia" goods. There's even a small, but soon to be growing, section of Italian goodies like olive oil, balsamic vinegars, sauces, and tasty dessert things.
Oh, speaking of desserts, you will find things at Cucci's that you've only dreamed of finding in Bath before: Chocolate Suicide cake, Boston cream pie, caramel chocolate cheesecake and, get this, cannoli. Yes! That quintessential Italian dessert is ready and waiting for you at Cucci's at the Varsity.
Response has been remarkable.
"It was a great feeling," Giuseppi laughs. "A couple Fridays ago was the first time we actually had people waiting for tables. They waited 15 minutes or so before they could sit down. I hated that people had to wait, sure, but the fact that there were people waiting felt good."
Giuseppi Cucci is a man who likes to keep busy.
"We are used to being busy down in Covington," he says. "That's the time when, for me, everything kicks in and I can do my best. It gets all my senses going. I like it. I enjoy the challenge."
Opening a busy new restaurant with a new staff was also a challenge.
"We did start off green here with the wait staff," Giuseppi notes. "I brought two guys up from our place in Covington - Chris Walton and my cousin Marcello DeBenedetto - for the kitchen. But now, it's all working out well; everybody is getting honed in on everything."
With the exception of the salad bar at Cucci's in Covington, everything folks have grown to love there since 1977 can be found in Warm Springs. "We just don't have space yet for a salad bar," says Giuseppi. "But who knows? We have plans. We hope to glass-in the porches so we can serve out there year around. That will open a lot more space and give us many more options.
Right now, though, the options are nearly endless: Do you get the spaghetti, or the manicotti? How about that succulent ravioli with cheese? Does anyone want pineapple on their pizza? Will a small four-slice pizza be enough, or should you opt for the 16-inch with eight slices? Then again, there's that 12-slice special Sicilian pizza, with the thick crust. And don't forget the stuffed shells Florentine.
Buon appetito!
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