Cucina Verona brings Italian culinary traditions to Fort Bragg

Kathleen and Joe Harris operate Cucina Verona Ristorante & Mercato in Fort Bragg, located in California’s Mendocino County. The establishment combines a restaurant with an adjacent market featuring curated Italian products.

Chef Joe Harris, who is of Italian descent, focuses on regional Italian flavors paired with ingredients from Northern California. The couple has engaged in a culinary project titled ‘52 Weeks,’ exploring different Italian regions through weekly dinners, which they intend to develop into a cookbook.

The family also maintains ties to local viticulture through Costa Vineyards in Comptche. The vineyard’s history traces back to Vincenzo, an immigrant from Piedmont who arrived via Ellis Island in 1907 and planted vines in 1918. The business is currently managed by the fourth generation of the family.