Shortly before meeting in Illinois, Emma and Tony each started food businesses: Just BEE Açaì and the Tony Cannoli Cart, respectively. On their first date, Emma made a tray of tiramisu, which they ate (in its entirety) with two spoons and a bottle of wine in a park.
Now Emma and Tony Curcuru, accompanied by their six-month-old daughter, the couple has turned their two mobile businesses into brick and mortars worthy of rave reviews and long lines out the front door of their new Italian bakery Caffé Sorrento.
Six Months After Opening, Caffé Sorrento is Moving
Caffé Sorrento opened in December 2024 and quickly Boiseans embraced an uncommon ritual in our city: standing in line for a restaurant. The location on an Overland Road strip mall has a few stools, but it’s primarily standing room for about eight or ten customers in front of the pastry case.
“When we’ve dreamed of a shop together, we’ve always envisioned something intimate like this,” Emma said.
This week, the Curcurus announced that Emma’s business Just BEE Açaí and Caffé Sorrento will be swapping locations, with Sorrento moving to 5624 West State Street, which is in the same plaza as The Local, near the eastern edge of the River Club golf course.
“We felt like we needed to move now or move in three years when our next lease is up. We’ve felt the growth in the past six months since we opened, and we hope that’ll continue. So we thought if we were going to make a little bit of an upgrade, now would be the time to do it,” Emma said.
Emma Curcuru said the maritozzo is her favorite pastry to make, and it’s truly unique among Boise offerings. (Blake Hunter / City Cast Boise)
In Caffé Sorrento’s new location, they’ll get to design the counter to their own taste, which they didn’t get to do on Overland. It’ll be slightly bigger in front and in the back of house, but with the same design elements and bright, Sicilian-yellow paint in the lobby.
“The difference is going to be the flow,” Tony said. They also have a gelato cart with an umbrella that’s currently in hiding, but will be on display now. The move is in early stages, and they don’t have an opening date to share yet, but Caffé Sorrento on Overland will stay open for the time being.
‘Surreal’ Praise and Gathering Community
City Cast Boise podcast host Lindsay Van Allen and I have, at times, sounded like we’re competing to give the most glowing reviews of Caffé Sorrento. The Curcurus are grateful for the attention from Boise, but haven’t settled into their new status yet.
“It’s still so surreal. A lot of times we don’t realize how much people are talking about our concept until we hear a podcast …” Emma said. “To know people are chitter chattering with their friends and family outside of here, it’s still a very interesting feeling, one I don’t think I’ll ever get used to.”
The focaccia has been Toni Curcuru’s project, added to the menu for a savory, everyday option. (Blake Hunter / City Cast Boise)
I asked how the Curcurus want Caffé Sorrento to feel a year from now, and Tony starts: “Hopefully we stay there at least for a while.” Emma shakes her head and laughs, which makes their daughter, sitting on her lap — and usually greeting customers in a carrier — laugh with her.
“I want regulars, that’s the kind of business I want,” Tony said. “It’s nice to have the hype and everything, don’t get me wrong, but it’s even better to have a community.”
For Tony, Caffé Sorrento is a way to continue his family’s tradition of bringing the romance and nostalgia of Italian food to an American community where it can be appreciated anew. His family ran a pizzeria named Sorrento’s in Illinois beginning in the 1970s.
“Us doing something like my grandparents did — like in 1969, at the time, pizza was new in this country so people were raving about pizza. We wanted to channel that energy of bringing something new to people and carry on the legacy in a different way.”
