Tony's Farm

The farm as it appears in Home & Garden Star Ledger article

This is the home of Tony and Clara Grande, proprietors of Il Cappriccio restaurant in Whippany.

"Capriccio" is Italian for whim or caprice, but there is nothing capricious about the Grande's highly regarded 18-year old restaurant or their newly renovated home, formerly a barn."A whim in my interpretation, is the highest dream that I could accomplish," said Tony. And yet, there is definitely something fanciful about taking a structural American icon and outfitting it with Italian soul.

Grande bought the 180-acre Frankford Township property on which his home sits in 1996. He was drawn to the tranquil undulating landscape, which reminded him of Tuscany and his native, Mandatoriccio in the southern region of Calabria.

For several years, Tony has returned a portion of the land into an organic vegetable garden to render fresh produce for use at Il Capriccio. "The farm gives something back to the restaurant, but it's also good for Tony's soul." He recently put in several fruit trees, stocked his pond, which is fed by Papakating Creek, with trout and bass, and hopes to bring in horses and farm animals and even plant a vineyard. He also wants to convert the current tractor shed into a cooking studio, where he can teach cooking classes using his own-grown produce and meats.

The image he conjures is as dreamy yet as real as the landscape outside his windows - and inviting, restorative retreat where one can learn the secrets of fine Italian cooking using the bounty of the surrounding landscape. Tony Grande's latest whim appears firmly planted in the ground.