Princeton Restaurateur Attributes Success To Mother’s Love of Fresh, Simple Cuisine

Anthony Momo is the youngest of three brothers, “the one you have not yet heard about,” who make up the Terra Momo Restaurant Group (www.terramomo.com).  Recently returned from California, he is responsible for setting the culinary direction of Teresa Caffé, a Palmer Square landmark in Princeton for 23 years, and is also General Manager of Eno Terra in Kingston, NJ, where he can often be found meeting and greeting customers.  Working with the sous chefs who execute daily at Teresa Caffé, he knows how to inspire the loyalty of the restaurant’s patrons, who have been returning for generations.

            “Many of our loyal customers order the same dish they first sampled years ago and are delighted to find that it is still as wonderful as they remember it,” says Momo, a Culinary Arts graduate of Johnson & Wales University.  “A number of our recipes have not changed since the restaurant first opened.  What customers don’t realize, however, is that we work constantly behind the scenes to make sure they contain only the freshest locally sourced ingredients.”

            A good example, according to Momo, is fresh vegetables that are not available during certain seasons.  “During the warmer months, for example, we use only fresh locally grown tomatoes,” he explains.  “During the winter months, however, when fresh tomatoes are not available locally, we don’t simply substitute tomatoes grown in other regions that are allowed to ripen during shipment and tend to be hard and dry.  Instead, we may use fire roasted tomatoes that more closely resemble the taste and consistency of fresh locally grown produce.”

            During the summer months, Teresa Caffé also offers outdoor dining.  “We invite everyone to come by for the Grand Opening our new Terrazza dining under the archway in Palmer Square in mid-June,” says Momo.  “You can enjoy fine dining in the shade of the archway during the day and under the stars at night through the month of August.” 

            The youngest of three brothers who grew up in the Bronx borough of New York, all of whom have become successful restaurateurs, Anthony Momo inherited his love of fine cooking from his mother, Teresa, for whom Teresa Caffé is named.  “When I was in high school, my friends loved to come to my house,” he recalls.  “But they didn’t come just to hang out or play video games.  They came to see what my mother was making for dinner.”  

            Teresa, whose lifelong dream was to open her own caffeé, and her husband opened a specialty food store – the very first Teresa Caffé – in the mid-1970s.  There she was able to demonstrate her devotion to fresh food, dedication to wholesome ingredients and an undying commitment to hospitality. 

            “These are the values we have lived by since the current Teresa Caffé first opened 23 years ago. Through it all, my mother, Teresa, has been my inspiration.  She taught me to find harmony between tradition and innovation, a skill I value and use constantly,” insists Anthony Momo, who personally creates every dish on The restaurant’s diverse menu.  “We want our customers to feel as though they are guests of an Italian family for dinner, and based on the number of them who return frequently, we appear to have succeeded in doing that.”

            For more information on Teresa Caffé, including hours of operation, menu items and online reservations, please visit their website at www.teresacaffe.com.