About us
Cantinetta Luca offers an authentic Italian menu inspired by the traditional recipes of various regions of Italy. The Chef hand-crafts the dishes using the finest Italian products and locally sourced ingredients in a lively atmosphere. An extensive wine list with an expansive Italian varietals section and house-made delicacies, such as salume, fresh pastas, Bistecca Fiorentina complete the Cantinetta Luca experience.
Starting with treasured family recipes passed down through generations, the menu specialties include a hearty selection of source verified premium meats, first hand selected then hand-cut on site, a wide array of antipasti including house cured artisan salume, fresh Californian produce, wood-oven baked pizza, housemade pastas and sauces, and whole roasted fish.
Whether you are enjoying the Bistecca Fiorentina hand cut, prepared and presented in the Tuscan tradition, a glass of perfectly paired Italian wine or a plate of our daily housemade pasta made with imported Caputo “00” flour you will experience a little piece of Italy in Carmel-by-the-Sea. All of our pasta, bread, sauces, dressings and marinades are housemade daily using authentic imported Italian goods and fresh, locally sourced produce. Meats are sourced from the best purveyors and seafood is sourced locally. Our culinary team also offers a selection of housemade artisan salume made from our own recipes along with the finest salume imported from around the world. The restaurant’s wine list offers difficult to find and reasonably priced wines to pair perfectly with your favorite dish
There is always a lot of activity at Luca and the open kitchen gives diners the opportunity to watch chefs in action. The interior decor of the 93-seat restaurant with full bar service is an antique/modern ambiance inspired by the classic architecture of Italy. The design is a blend of stone, brick and glass, chiseled wood and bright Italian colors. Our beautiful wine room featuring a barrel vaulted brick ceiling and chiseled beams is the perfect setting for your next special event.
JASON BALESTRIERI
Chef/Owner
Jason Balestrieri is the Chef/Owner of Cantinetta Luca, Carmel’s popular and bustling neighborhood trattoria. Appointed to the position in 2021, Balestrieri offers the pure flavors of authentic Italian food in a casual, modern setting. With deep familial roots in Southern Italian cuisine, Chef Balestrieri specializes in handmade pastas, wood-oven baked pizza, unique varieties of house-cured salumi, roasted whole fish and meats served family-style.
Growing up in Wisconsin, Balestrieri was steeped in his Italian family’s deep culinary traditions. After receiving his Culinary Arts degree from the Milwaukee Area Technical College, Balestrieri worked at a Milwaukee neighborhood café before moving to the highly regarded Pfister Hotel, where he trained as line and pantry cook.
The sunny skies of California beckoned, however, and Balestrieri moved to Los Angeles in 1993, accepting a position at Pinot Bistro under chef/ founder Joachim Splichal and Executive Chef Octavio Beccera. Dedicating the next five years to Twin Palms in Pasadena, Balestrieri advanced from Sous Chef to Chef de Cuisine under chef/owner Michael Roberts, and finally to Executive Chef at the Twin Palms in Valencia.
In 2000, Jason’s association with Joachim Splichal evolved when he accepted a position as lead line cook at Los Angeles’ acclaimed Patina. He was quickly promoted to Sous Chef for Splichal’s Cafe Pinot, and for three years worked as Executive Chef at Pinot Hollywood. Ultimately, Jason became Executive Chef at Splichal’s Nick and Stef’s Steakhouse, where he assumed complete responsibility for all kitchen operations of the 250-seat restaurant while focusing on it’s In-House Dry-Age beef program.
Balestrieri became Executive Chef at Cantinetta Luca in 2006 and after an 11 year stint, left in 2017 to open The Meatery in Seaside as the Monterey Peninsula’s only independent Butcher Shop. In early 2021, Jason returned to Carmel as Chef of the newly opened Village Gem restaurant, offering a small but eclectic “New American” menu. Returning as Executive Chef of Cantinetta Luca in Sept. 2021, Chef Jason intends on honoring the past with signature items, but also plans to allow the menu to evolve utilizing the bounty of local ingredients along with the very best that Italy has to offer.