‘We serve high-standard food and provide outstanding customer services accessible for all’: Alessandro Verdenelli, CEO of Sushi Cupcake

“We are well-known for our signature dish 'Sushi cupcake', a combination of sushi and Italian tartar.” 

It’s not a stretch to call out Japanese and Italian food among the most popular cuisines in the world. One of the most internationally recognized and widespread cuisines, Italian food is ingrained in Japanese society. Both Japanese and Italian cuisine share common elements, most notably, an emphasis on seasonality and simplicity. Japanese-Italian food adds its characteristic attention to detail, and a light, delicate touch.

Sushi Cupcake has been one of the most prominent champions when it comes to serving authentic Italian-Japanese cuisine. The café creates something unique that blends those two cultures together: simple but complex, easy but cool, tasty but fast. It offers fresh, juicy, flavorful, and mouth-watering sushi in a shape of a cupcake, noodles with vegetables, sides, and sweets. Simply put, the food offered here is beyond delicious.

Sushi Cupcake began serving ambrosial food in 2019, and the café is managed by the most compassionate Italian chef, Alessandro Verdenelli.

Alessandro Verdenelli, CEO of Sushi Cupcake, spoke exclusively to The Silicon Review. Below is an excerpt.

Q. What is Sushi Cupcake well-known for? And what are the different products Sushi Cupcake offers?

We are well-known for our signature dish 'Sushi cupcake', a combination of sushi and Italian tartar. Our offering changes from time to time with various Japanese Italian dishes. Our menu contains Japanese Izakaya-style dishes to Italian Cicchetti, pizza, pasta, noodles, desserts, etc.

Q. What can you tell us about your Catering & Collaborations service?

Many of our dishes are being selected and developed to stand and test beautifully for any food display or catering event. The healthy options and the combination of the two cuisines from two different countries offer a variety, and the customers appreciate it. Many reputed companies and other private sectors select our catering services, as we provide the best quality service.

Q. How responsive is Sushi Cupcake to the changing needs of its clients?

We are more than just a café. We are part of your lifestyle. We take care of your health and culinary taste. We stick to our offer, but we understand customers' needs, diet, and allergy requirements. So we are happy to accommodate any request put forth by our customers.

Q. What are your other focus areas?

Our primary focus is on the quality of the food and services. We also focus on achieving the highest standard to design it.

Q. Setbacks are a part of every growing business. Tell us about a few roadblocks and learning lessons that have helped Sushi Cupcake grow over the years?

As a new company that was just launched at the end of 2019, we had many roadblocks related to the Covid-19 pandemic. We changed our business model and offerings, we targeted different customers, and overall we managed to do well.

Q. Where does Sushi Cupcake stand at the moment relative to other participants in the industry?

We wanted to fill the gap between the standard restaurant and fast food center. That is why we created Sushi Cupcake, where we serve high-quality food and provide outstanding customer services accessible for all. Over time we built our reputation for our food offering, take away party, or corporate events.

Q. No doubt, Sushi Cupcake is charting new territories in this segment. Given how frequently circumstances change, what plans for transformation are you pursuing to remain relevant now and in the future?

Currently, we are modeling our business according to Covid-19 changes and legislation, and we are also working to move further up in this sector—one step at a time.

Alessandro Verdenelli: The Grande Chef

Alessandro Verdenelli serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Sushi Cupcake. Born in Rome, the heart of Italy, he was attracted to the culinary world at a very young, as his uncle owned a restaurant. Mr. Verdenelli attended the Professional Cookery School in Rome, where he represented his school in various national cookery competitions.

He worked for DUKE'S, a fashionable restaurant in Rome in the exclusive Parioli's area. He then moved to London and worked in the Neal Street Restaurant with Antonio Carluccio. He also worked as a chef in Soho House Group, KX Private Member Club, and Chucs restaurants group. Besides, Alessandro has been a consultant to various other well-known hotel groups operating in the UK and abroad.

“We stick to our offer, but we understand customers' needs, diet, and allergy requirements. So we are happy to accommodate any request put forth by our customers.”