Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Cagnacci.
Hi Jonathan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Italy, where food is part of everyday life and deeply connected to family, and culture, and identity. I began working in the culinary world in 1999 at *Panificio Mario* in Genova, a well known bakery that taught me discipline, hard work, and respect for traditions. Over time, I became an Instructor Baker at the GMI School, training under Luigi Ricchezza, one of Italy’s leading experts in flour and doughs.
When in 2014 I moved to the Utah, I saw how it was to find great food for a reasonable price. I felt a strong need to share what Italian cooking really is, honest, simple, and rooted in care rather than excess. In 2021, my wife and I opened Mastra Italian Bakery & Bistro in American Fork. We started small, but with a clear promise: everything from scratch, no shortcuts.
Mastra grew quickly, not because we chased growth, but because people felt the intention behind the food. What began as a tiny 28-seat restaurant became a place where guests felt seen, welcomed, and find an Italian experience in the heart of Utah County. That response confirmed for me that authenticity really matters and that the community was just waiting for a place offering it.
Today, as we prepare to open a new larger location, my goal remains the same: to honor where I come from, build something meaningful with my hands, and create a space where food, people, and culture are kept alive and passed on. Mastra is not just a restaurant it’s my childhood, my heritage and story, shared one plate at a time.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t been a smooth road at all. Mastra is definitely the hardest thing I ever done in my life. We opened our brick and mortar place right after COVID in 2021 , at a time when the industry was fragile, costs were rising, and lots of restaurants were shutting down. Just ten months after opening, my family and I had to return to Rome to finalize our visa process, and we unexpectedly got stuck there for three months before we were finally approved. During that time, we were forced to close the restaurant and, when we finally returned in late January, start everything over again.
There were moments of real doubt, long nights, physical and mental exhaustion, while carrying the weight of being responsible for the business, and my employees. Also as an immigrant, I had to learn a new system, regulations, local culture, labor laws, health cose and everything needed to run a business in Utah.
It was painful, but it shaped me. Every setback brought me to grow as a cook, a leader, and a person and all those struggles added even more value to Mastra and what it represents.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m an Italian baker and cook, and at heart, a craftsman. I specialize in traditional Italian food made the way it’s meant to be made, from scratch, by hand, with respect for ingredients and taking the right time. My background is in baking and pasta, and those remain the soul of what we do at Mastra: fresh bread, fresh pasta, simple sauces made with the right ingredients and techniques, which bring to honest flavors.
What we’re known for is authenticity. Not a version of Italian food adapted to trends, but the food I grew up with, simple, humble, precise, and deeply rooted in culture. We keep our menu intentionally small so every dish can be executed at the highest level, every day.
What I’m most proud of is that Mastra has earned trust. People come back because they feel care in the service, generosity in the flavors, and consistency. We’ve built a place with heart, where quality comes before shortcuts, and where the kitchen is still driven by hands, processing the simple basic ingredients: flour, water, eggs, butter, milk etc.
What sets us apart is obsession with details, with technique, with doing things the right way even if it makes operation more complicated . We work everyday to build a piece of Italy in a restaurant, far from home.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I’d love to share that we’re opening a new Mastra location at 98 NW State St, American Fork, Main street. This new space is a big step for us. It allows us to do what we’ve always wanted to do, but on a deeper level.
The new restaurant will have a larger kitchen designed to execute with consistency a larger menu and expend our catering offer. the dining room has been designed by an Italian designer and will be made in the Italian way: simple, warm, and intentional. It’s not about being bigger for the sake of growth, but allowing more people to partake to the Italian experience we are offering ad about creating the right environment to make our guests feel welcome and taken care of.
We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported us so far. This new location is a gift for the community and has being built with the same heart and love that started Mastra from day one.
Contact Info:
- Email: mastra.order@gmail.com
- Instagram: mastrabakerybistro
- Facebook: mastra italian bakery bistro
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mastra-american-fork-2
- Other: https://www.google.com/search?q=mastra+utah
