‘My friends called me crazy’: Italian chef talks about his successful food stall

Street food chef Franco Scarpetta shares his journey from living on a farm in southern Italy to opening his stall in Cardiff Market

When you enter Cardiff Market, it’s hard to miss Franco Street Food, with its sunshine-yellow exterior and the owner, Franco Scarpetta, cheerfully rolling and filling dough while singing in Italian and chatting with those passing by.

Scarpetta, 46, moved from Apulia in southern Italy to Wales in 1997. After many hospitality jobs and a stint as a football coach in the USA, he found his passion in celebrating his heritage through cooking street food using his nonna’s recipes.

A year has passed since he opened Franco Street Food in Cardiff Market, serving authentic Apulian deep-fried dough pockets (panzerotto) stuffed with fresh mozzarella and tomato.

The people of Cardiff seem to be drawn in by the golden crescents on display, Scarpetta’s affectionate laugh, and his ability to make any customer or passer-by smile.

But the journey hasn’t been easy for him.

Early life in Italy

Scarpetta’s passion for food, like for many Italians, began in his grandmother’s kitchen.

“I used to live on a farm, I would help my grandparents on the land all summer from a young age,” he said.

“We had a three-wheeler and a little dog that would sit on the back. We would drive it to the market square and sell the produce.”

He said he cooked for the first time when he was six years old– a peculiar mix of fried onions, hotdog sausages and pasta.

Then in 1997, he visited his uncle in Abergavenny to learn English, but he fell in love with south Wales and stayed.

Click below to listen to Franco Scarpetta talk about his passion for quality ingredients and family recipes

Sometimes I get emotional because it connects me with the past and my grandparents

To the States and back

Football has always been a big part of Scarpetta’s life. When the team he played for in Abergavenny suggested he should complete his coaching badge, he said he couldn’t refuse.

In 2011, he was offered coaching positions at the New York Red Bulls and Chicago Fire, so he uprooted his life to the USA to pursue his passion.

Three weeks later, Scarpetta received an unexpected phone call – his ex-partner was pregnant.

“She was here, and I was in America, and she told me if I didn’t come back, she doesn’t want the child. So, I came back to Wales in November 2011,” he said emotionally.

Taste of Apulia in Cardiff

He returned to working in the hospitality industry in Wales but lost his job during the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 and opened Franco Street Food in 2021. 

“My friends called me crazy for opening a place serving panzerotto, nobody knows what it is!” he laughed.

It wasn’t easy at the start, but the feedback has been amazing, he added. “People come back and say thank you, and I say thank you back because without the customers, I wouldn’t be here.”

After losing his job, he first set up a kiosk in Cardiff Bay, followed by a food truck in Roath Park, where he served his crisp, cheesy parcels to those who couldn’t resist the smell of fresh dough on their daily walks.

It has been a year since Scarpetta opened Franco Streed Food in Cardiff Market. He sells out on most days and makes time to stop and chat with his many returning customers.

“Sometimes I get emotional because it connects me with the past and my grandparents,” he said smiling.

Quality ingredients are at the heart of what Scarpetta does. He imports ancient bio-organic flour called Senatore Cappelli from Apulia and uses only extra virgin olive oil grown on his family farm in Castellaneta, southern Italy.

“The ingredients I have, I’m very proud of. I want to make it the same way it is made in Puglia.”