Joseph F. Caputo has combined his passion for food and for the theatre into a recipe for success.

Influenced at a very young age by is maternal grandparents and his mother, Joseph learned he culinary traditions of his Italian ancestry. Having traveled extensively with his mother who was an excellent cook, Joseph developed his culinary point of view over the years. He had, however, no idea that his background would provide him with the skills that enabled him open two successful businesses as he neared his fiftieth birthday. Today, he is chef/owner of “Catering by Joseph LTD,” and “Zuppa del Giorno, il restorante di pranzo, both located in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Joseph graduated from Marywood University with a degree in Communications and later earned a Masters degree in Theatre from the State University of New York. For a time after finishing his education, Joseph pursued a professional acting career in New York City, and worked in several restaurants there while he looked for work in the theatre.

When he returned to Scranton, Joseph was involved in education as a teacher and later as an administrator. He continued to perform in community and regional theatre in Northeastern Pennsylvania. During that time, cooking was a hobby, something he did for his personal enjoyment.

While he was involved in a local show, he was asked by one of his friends who was involved in the show to prepare a dinner for a group of friends she wanted to entertain. Joseph accepted the invitation; the guests at the dinner party were very impressed. Enthusiastic about having Joseph do parties for them, several of the guests requested his business card so they could arrange their own dinner parties. From that dinner party, a business was born, and Joseph began working as a personal chef.

Joseph came to the realization that the only thing he enjoyed more than acting was cooking. He decided to further his education at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York and St. Helena, California. He eventually decided to take his talents as an actor and his honed culinary skills to a new level by opening both a catering business and later, a restaurant.

Combining his theatrical flair with his cooking and teaching expertise, Joseph also teaches classes at his restaurant on a wide range of topics and cuisines. He has appeared as a guest chef on various Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania television cooking productions.

His cookbook entitled The Accidental Chef reveals some humorous “behind the scenes” stories from his catering business as well as a treasury of recipes from his childhood and life long cooking adventures.

Joseph has cooked in Tolfa, Italy; Paris, France, and has been a guest chef for Holland America cruise line. He had done guest chef demonstrations and cooking classes on the Ms. Veendam, Maasdam, Zaandam, Zuiderdam and Oosterdam.