Mr coffee
LUIGI DI RUOCCO • Mr. Espresso
WORK • Friday Routine
LUIGI DI RUOCCO • vp & co-owner • Mr. Espresso
Neighborhood you live in: Alameda
It’s Friday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
In the morning, I prepare lunch for my three children, then drop them off at school in Alameda at 730a. From there, I head to The Caffè by Mr. Espresso in downtown Oakland to help out with morning operations. Being there keeps me tapped into the business, and it allows me to see things that need attention.
At The Caffè, I’ll have my morning espresso (Neapolitan, of course). Once we get through the commuter rush, I’ll head to my office at the Mr. Espresso roastery in Jack London Square. On the way I’ll grab a salad from someplace like The Cook and Her Farmer, Sweetgreen, or Mixt, all options within a short distance of The Caffè. I like a salad because it’s light, it’s healthy, and good on the go.
At the roastery, I’ll check with the operations and service teams to make sure our various projects are on schedule and answer emails. In the afternoon, I’ll make another espresso for myself in our company showroom, where we have a professional coffee setup. Later in the day, I’ll meet with my social media/marketing team to go over our upcoming promotions. At some point, I’ll have a third espresso. Drinking espresso throughout the day is part of our Italian heritage and family culture. My brother, John, and sister, Laura, who also work in the office, do the same.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Today I have a local content creator, Demondre Ward, coming to The Caffè to shoot video footage. Dre lives nearby and is a regular. He’s now a friend and collaborator, which is typical of a lot of great people I’ve met in the industry over the years. So I’ll be at The Caffè all morning to help facilitate the filming.
Later in the morning, Monique Feybesse, the co-owner of the wonderful Oakland bakery Tarts de Feybesse is meeting me at The Caffè to experiment with a new chef collab we’re creating for our third anniversary in June. We’ll be dialing in the ingredients and making sure that the drink is scalable for the team to make. It’s also important that the drink tells a unique story and tastes delicious before I’m comfortable dropping it into our rotation. It can take a month or more of collaboration to get it right.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Acre in Rockridge is a standby for us: The pizza is excellent, and we especially enjoy the mushroom, provolone, and fried rosemary pie. Our family has a long history with the space from its time as Oliveto, and we’re pleased to have a good relationship with the new owners. I like Sobre Mesa in Uptown Oakland for a date night for drinks and bites. Parche is a favorite for a sitdown lunch. When I want to treat myself in the morning, I’ll stop at Fournée for pastries. I like the character of the place; it has a very understated French feel (my mom is French). In Alameda, Trabocco is a Di Ruocco family favorite. We love the ambiance, and we have a longstanding relationship with the owners.
How about a little leisure or culture?
My two oldest girls play on separate basketball teams, which I coach two evenings a week. My oldest also plays in an AAU league, which is another two evenings a week, and our weekends are filled with basketball games. We have a five-year-old, so we spend a lot of time at the park. When I have some time to myself, I like going for a run or working out at home (my default is 30 minutes on the Peloton followed by weights or a core workout). I play golf a few times a year. I like to say that I play just enough golf to not get better. I also love the 49ers.
Any weekend getaways?
We go to Lake Tahoe a few times a year and usually stay in Incline Village. We like to hike and ride bikes when the weather’s nice, and snowboard if we’re there at the right time. We enjoy Bowl Incline for its bowling alley, arcade games, and great food from Sam Choy’s Ohana Diner. Our favorite restaurant spots in the Tahoe area are Great Gold and Tangerine Bistro.
What was your last great vacation?
My wife, my youngest daughter, and I were in Rome last year (below) and had a great time eating and exploring. Our days were defined by incredible food — we were especially impressed by the pizza at Panificio Bonci and the dual delights of Roscioli’s bakery and caffè.
Between walks through the Roman Forum, I spent time scouting the cafes around different neighborhoods, enjoying the contrast between Rome’s historic coffee bars and its emerging modern scene. We shared a classic Roman dinner at Armando al Pantheon and later ventured to Testaccio for a memorable meal at Felice. We even managed a day trip to Tivoli to wander through the gardens of Villa d’Este. To top it all off, we headed south to Naples and the Amalfi Coast to reconnect with my Italian relatives in Salerno.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I bought a Kamado Joe grill during our backyard renovations. While it sat idle for a while, I’ve recently started putting it to work. I’m really enjoying the process, especially smoking steaks and burgers to lock in that flavor before finishing them with a high-heat sear.
Photo: Hardy Wilson