by Gina Cocchiaro

As I hopped up onto a stool before a beautiful copper bartop at Bacio Italian Cucina at 700 Bethlehem Pike in Erdenheim, owner Jay Saponaro asked, “Do you believe in astrology?” Even with Brett Kavanaugh’s opening testimony playing in the background, I instantly relaxed. Saponaro tends to have that effect on people and relies on this quality to create a comfortable atmosphere for Bacio’s guests.

Bacio (“kiss” in Italian) serves traditional Italian food without pretense. “We’re not a gourmet restaurant,” Saponaro said. “I want Bacio to be known as a welcoming, family-oriented restaurant. Italian both in food and in atmosphere.” Well, I feel right at home.

New to Erdenheim as of July, Saponaro and Bacio’s entire original staff left Mt. Airy in search of the elusive busy weeknight. They settled into a former piano bar (Fingers for more than 20 years, then Roberto’s for several years and then two more restaurants that lasted about as long as the time between haircuts) on Bethlehem Pike. With a parking lot! A larger dining room! More space for more guests.

The busy weeknight followed, quickly becoming the new normal. “Our biggest problem now is too many reservations,” which are taken only by phone. Saponaro doesn’t like websites but does manage to maintain a Facebook presence that generation Z might consider ghostly, updating about once a month. Word of mouth spreads just as far and fast, according to the owner.

For Saponaro, who prides himself on his laid-back leadership style, the move and ensuing boost in business mandated a shift into high-gear, which admittedly cost him some of his chill. “In this area, you have to work hard. People really expect you to be on the ball.”

Before their move in July, the Bacio team had been serving up fresh, simple Italian food to the people of Mt. Airy since 2006. With heritage in Ischia, an Italian island in the Gulf of Naples, Saponaro favors family recipes over innovation, featuring a seafoodcentric menu at Bacio that would please his Ischian ancestors.

A culinary traditionalist, he loathes “spins” on classic dishes. “Italians believe that if you keep ingredients pure and simple, everything will be delicious. Make everything yourself. Nothing preprepared.”

At their new location, Bacio boasts a liquor license and yet maintains their BYOB status from Mt. Airy as well. They’ve adapted menu favorites to suit vegan and gluten-free diets. Fresh pasta is made in house, but if a guest misses the bite of dried pasta cooked al dente, Saponaro keeps a stock of boxed pasta on hand. “Erdenheim wants fileted fish, no bones! They love pasta here, especially our lobster ravioli. It’s really nice … pasta is what we do best.”

While pleased with Bacio’s warm Erdenheim welcome, Saponaro isn’t in the restaurant game for the money. The best business advice he ever received was to put 10% of his money away, “which [he] never did.” Saponaro himself is motivated to make people happy and is paid with recognition of a job well done. He professes, “I’m old now, and I just want to accommodate people. That’s my enjoyment.”

Saponaro is relationship-driven, devoted to accommodating not just his guests but his staff as well. He listens to them and gives time off when they need it. He empowers his team at Bacio to take ownership of their job and their space. “As a leader I instill a sense of urgency: there’s somebody out there [in the dining room] that wants something delicious! I’ve bonded with my staff for years. We’re a family.”

Sine Bacio is often fully booked for dinner, I inquired about the likelihood of opening Bacio for lunch service. “I’ll open at 3 in the morning if somebody wants us to be here,” Saponaro joked. “If the neighborhood wants it, we’ll test it out.”

Bacio is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday, 5:30 to 9 p.m. For more information, call 215-2482740. There is no website.