Our story.
Both coming from humble beginnings in the restaurant industry, chefs Nick Sherman and Shawn Ryberg have teamed up to create a restaurant that marries the traditional flavors of Italy with the seasonal offerings of coastal California. From this concept, Cavalletta was born, serving elevated Italian inspired fare in a laid back and inviting environment.
From a young age, Nick Sherman, current owner of Trestles in Capitola, had a passion for preparing food. To further his skills, he attended Napa Valley Cooking School before moving to Vail, Colorado to work along some of the best chefs at Larkspur where he gained valuable knowledge that later landed him the Head Chef position at Basalt in Napa Valley. In 2020, Nick made a return home to Santa Cruz to fulfill a lifelong dream of opening his own restaurant and bringing his culinary expertise back to the community he grew up in.
Having spent the last 20 years in Hawaii, Cape Cod native chef Shawn Ryberg knows a thing or two about creating delicious plates using local ingredients. He spent over a decade as the Head Chef at the North Shore’s iconic Haleiwa Joe’s before ending his time in Hawaii serving up elevated pacific island fare at Roy’s Beach House at the renowned Turtle Bay Resort. He finally made his way back to the mainland in 2022 and is excited to team up with Nick on this new venture.
Italian inspired, locally sourced
At Cavalletta, we believe that seasonally fresh and locally sourced ingredients make all the difference. We are proud to use local farmers, fisherman and butchers in our operations and our chefs can be found foraging mushrooms or fishing in the bay themselves to give our guests the best of what coastal California has to offer.
All of our pastas and sauces are made in house using simple ingredients. Our wood fired pizzas are made using traditional technique, which produces a thin and airy crust with a slightly charred bottom. Each pizza is about 10” in diameter- perfect for feeding 1-4 people.
