Johnny C’s Celebrates Two Years Of Delicious Food & Community Service!

If you’ve been reading this publication for any period of time and you still haven’t at least tried owner/Chef Erik Ravenna’s Johnny C’s Italian Eatery…well, let’s just say that I’m a little surprised. Not only does Erik create delicious Italian food — from New York-style pizzas to the largest variety of fresh seafood dishes (like the crispy calamari on this page to the Frutti di Mare, which means “fruits of the sea”) pasta and “comfort food” dishes like Momma’s Lasagna and spaghettini & meatballs — he also is one of the nicest, hardest-working restaurateurs in our area who also donates incredible amounts of food to local causes he believes in, such as special needs children. 

Johnny C’s was actually named for Erik’s former partner Pat Ciaccio’s father Johnny, but he never changed the name, and he also bought out the family of his other partner — the late former Saddlebrook Resort owner Tom Dempsey. Both Erik and Pat previously worked at Saddlebrook. 

Erik, who grew up in New Jersey, says the atmosphere at Johnny C’s is very much like having dinner at the home of a large Italian family, with its open kitchen and a large, dais-like table in the center of the restaurant, with a number of smaller tables around that table. 

“This might be a little noisier dining room than you’re used to,” Erik says, “but it definitely feels like home to me.” 

So, What About The Food? 

Jannah, photographer Charmaine George and I have eaten at Johnny C’s at least a dozen times — not including takeout and catering orders — since it first opened a little more than two years ago, and we always have chosen either our own favorite dishes and/or anything new on the menu. 

This time, however, we asked Erik to make us either his favorite dishes or the dishes that have proven to be the most popular at Johnny C’s. 

And, what a feast he provided! We started with his ever-popular “Johnny’s Own Bruschetta” (above right photo; it just happens to also be Jannah’s favorite appetizer) that combines fresh, diced tomatoes, garlic and balsamic reduction on garlic crostini, served on a bed of tasty greens that also are amazing with the balsamic reduction. 

We also were served a zesty Antipasto Salad — spring mix, with tomatoes, black olives, banana peppers and spirals of ham, capicola, salami and provolone cheese and a house-made vinaigrette — and the aforementioned Calamari Fritti (tossed with banana pepper rings and garlic butter and served with house marinara). Thankfully, I’ve never had my shellfish reaction to calamari because I do love it and Erik’s is excellent! 

We’ve previously also gobbled down Erik’s Italian meatballs, served with fresh Buffalo mozzarella and finished with asiago and basil, and his incredible hand-breaded fried mozzarella. And, while we’re on the subject of his fresh mozzarella, Erik’s Caprese Salad is another favorite of mine, with fresh yellow and red tomatoes stacked high with slices of mozzarella and finished with both balsamic glaze and extra virgin olive oil. 

But, speaking of my accursed shellfish allergy, Erik also wanted us to sample and take pictures of his Frutti di Mare (top left photo) — and Charmaine said it was probably her favorite dish of the evening. It combined nice-sized shrimp, mussels, clams and calamari in a spicy “Fra Diavlo” (which means “Among the Devil,” because of its heat) sauce and served over linguini with kalamata olives and a side, house-made garlic knot. (Note-all of the pasta dishes are served with garlic knot; they’re also available as an appetizer on the menu). 

Other seafood pastas on the menu include shrimp scampi, parmigiana, marinara and Fra Diavlo and my favorite, Erik’s linguini vongolĂ© (with fresh clams, marinara or white wine with garlic butter basil). 

Thankfully, he also decided to serve us his Momma’s Lasagna (top photo), which he says is “Just how you remembered,” but only if you had an Italian momma or nonna (grandmother). The lasagna has more meat and sauce than ricotta cheese and even though it’s not “authentic Italy Italian” because it has ricotta instead of bechamel sauce, Jannah, Charmaine and I all agreed that it was hearty and oh so delicious. 

We also loved his Linguini Alfredo with broccoli and chicken (left photo), which isn’t actually on the menu, so you’ll have to ask for it, but it definitely is a lighter Alfredo sauce than at most places. 

Other pasta dishes at Johnny C’s include Chicken Marsala (with mushrooms & Marsala wine brown sauce), Chicken Piccata (with white wine, lemon, basil & capers), Baked Penne (with house Bolognese sauce & mozzarella), Ravioli Pomodoro (cheese ravioli with vine ripened tomato sauce), Penne Vodka (with vodka cream sauce, basil & vine ripened tomato sauce), the previously mentioned Spaghettini & Meatballs and Eggplant or Chicken Parmigiana. Some of these pasta dishes are now available with gluten-free pasta and several of the chicken dishes have a Halal option. Be sure to ask Erik about all of his Halal offerings, also including beef pepperoni and turkey bacon. 

You Say You Want Pizza? You Got It! 

Although we didn’t actually have any of Erik’s pizzas on this most recent visit, we’ve enjoyed plenty of those options over the years. 

Although you can custom-design your own pizza, his varieties named for the five boroughs of New York City and the area known as “SoHo” are all among Johnny C’s most popular New York-style pies. The Brooklyn is a chicken, bacon, ranch pizza with Alfredo sauce and ricotta. The Bronx is your “Meat Lovers” option, with pepperoni, Italian sausage, ham and meatballs. The Manhattan has Hawaiian pineapple and ham, but I personally don’t think he should have named this variety after any borough of NYC. The Queens is your Margherita with light tomato sauce, fresh tomatoes, Buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil and garlic. The Staten Island is another white pizza, with Alfredo sauce, mozz, ricotta, mushrooms and a pesto drizzle. And the Soho is his veggie variety, with marinara, mushrooms, peppers, onion, spinach, olives and broccoli. 

Also super-popular (and delish!) is the “Yea Babe!,” that Erik calls his “Grandpa Bill’s Warm Welcome to You!.” It features vodka sauce, Italian sausage and mozzarella. And yes, Erik still is happy to add Mike’s hot honey to your favorite pizza. “It’s a game-changing extra kick,” he says. 

All of these pizzas, as well as the chicken & broccoli pizza in the right photo above, are available with a gluten-free cauliflower crust — honestly one of the best cauliflower crust pizzas I’ve had in our area. I usually prefer extra gluten myself, but for those who need to be gluten-free and those who enjoy a crisp, different-tasting crust, you should definitely try a cauliflower crust pizza at Johnny C’s! 

I also sometimes enjoy Johnny C’s “grinders” (I call them subs or hero sandwiches), but he offers meatball, eggplant, chicken or sausage parmesan hot grinders and a turkey BLT and Johnny C’s Italian grinder with capicola, salami, ham, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, banana peppers and roasted peppers with Italian dressing. 

Johnny C’s also offers a kids menu with spaghettini & meatballs, a slice of pizza (with fries) and cheese ravioli with choice of marinara or Alfredo sauce, each for only $7.95! 

Think you can still handle dessert? There’s a tartufo gelato “bomb” with hot fudge & whipped cream, NY-style cheesecake, tiramisu, chocolate chip or pistachio cannolis and two gluten-free options — a Reese’s pie and a chocolate torte. 

Cooking Classes, Catering & More! 

Also near and dear to Erik’s heart are his “Cooking Classes for Kids” (right photo). He has hosted these classes for special needs kids from Cypress Creek High and other local schools but also offers them as a unique birthday or other party opportunity to anyone whose kid wants to learn how to toss (and catch) pizza dough and make their own pizzas. I wish this was available when my two adult sons were still in school. Jannah and I want to learn how to make pizza like Erik, too! 

And, with the holiday season now just around the corner, you also can’t go wrong with catering from Johnny C’s — for parties large and small and for anything from a single tray of Momma’s Lasagna or Baked Penne to go with your Thanksgiving dinner to a fully catered meal, give Erik a call at the restaurant and talk to him about his many different menu options — from appetizers, pastas and pizzas, to salads, pretty much any type of sandwiches and more — you really should give him an opportunity to do at least some of the holiday cooking for you! 

During our most recent visit, Erik told me that he had an order the next day for a variety of breakfast pizzas, “So, even though I hadn’t ever even tried to make a breakfast pizza, I said, ‘Why not?’ and came up with five different options — fried egg, sausage & cheese; Canadian bacon, hash brown & cheese; biscuit cinnamon roll, a biscuit, gravy & sausage and the scrambled egg, bacon & cheese shown on this page.” 

I asked, “So, what did everyone say?” 

“Everyone loved them,” he replied. I think the biscuit and gravy pie was the biggest hit, though.” 

Johnny C’s serves beer and wine and has dine-in, take-out with online ordering, as well as delivery with Grubhub, Uber Eats, Seamless and Toast. 

As it says on the Johnny C’s website, “Come and visit us at Johnny C’s Italian Eatery, where every bite is a tribute to our family heritage and a celebration of life, love, and good food.” 

But, don’t just take our word for it — Johnny C’s has a 4.8-star (out of 5) overall rating on Google — on more than 600 reviews! As Charlene B. said in her 5-star review: “The food was AMAZING! The owner was great. He came out and talked to us and thanked us for coming. You can tell the heart he put into the restaurant & food. It was my first time coming and I told him I’d be back — two days later! I definitely found my new favorite,go-to Italian food. 10/10 recommend!” 

For more information about Johnny C’s Italian Eatery 10970 Cross Creek Blvd. (at Morris Bridge Rd.), Suite A, is open for dinner only Monday-Friday, 4 p.m.-9 p.m. and for lunch and dinner on Saturday (11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.) and Sunday (3 p.m.-9 p.m.). For more information, call (813) 278-8020 or visit JohnnyCsItalianEatery.com. 

Johnny C’s Italian Eatery — Delicious Food For Dining In Or Catering! 

Try any of Johnny C’s pizzas and ask for the Mike’s Hot Honey to give it a little extra kick. (Some Photos are by Charmaine George and Gary Nager; others were provided by Erik Ravenna) 

Although it’s only been open a little more than a year, Johnny C’s Italian Eatery, located in the small plaza on Cross Creek Blvd. at Morris Bridge Rd., is already one of our area’s favorite restaurants for New York-style pizza and delicious Italian food. 

But lately, co-owner and chef Erik Ravenna says that he’s become more and more passionate about catering — especially as people are starting to think about the upcoming holiday season. 

Johnny C’s even recently provided breakfast for 400 people at Cypress Creek High in Wesley Chapel. 

Johnny C’s, named for Erik’s partner Pat Ciaccio’s father Johnny (a long-time restaurateur himself), can accommodate parties and events — on-site or at a remote location — of pretty much any size, which may have something to do with the fact that Erik and Pat also used to work together at Saddlebrook Resort, where large-scale on-site catering drove the food and beverage end of the business. 

“I really enjoy doing large catering events,” Erik says, “especially events to help people and worthwhile causes.” 

As we reported in March of this year, Erik, who also lives in Wesley Chapel, became friends with Cypress Creek High (CCH) principal Carin Hetzler-Nettles because he has coached at the school and helped start its athletic booster club, and has always offered to help the school in any way he can. That included not only hosting an on-site pizza-making class (he now also offers cooking classes for individuals and small groups at the restaurant) for CCH’s Exceptional Student Education (ESE) students, he also recently provided breakfast for 400 CCH students and teachers. 

Erik loves teaching kids how to cook and offers cooking lessons for small groups and individual kids. “The kids love learning how to make pizzas and different dishes and then being able to serve what they’ve made to their families,” he says. “I always make it fun for them.” 

But, Erik also has donated food for New Tampa schools and organizations, including Benito Middle School, Heritage Elementary, and the Breast Cancer Awareness program at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church. In Feb., he also provided dinner for more than 200 special needs teens and young adults for the Tim Tebow Foundation’s “Night to Shine” prom-style celebration, held at Cypress Point Community Church on Morris Bridge Rd. 

“I do enjoy helping people whenever I can,” Erik says, “but so many of the people I’ve helped also have also become my customers, whether for a dinner with their families or for a large catering. A lot of the people we’ve served at these events may not have known Johnny C’s before, but they definitely do now. We often also get a banner at the schools we help, so even more people find out who we are and where we’re located.” 

When he’s not giving away large amounts of his delicious food for schools and charitable events, Erik still spends most of his days in the kitchen at Johnny C’s and he says that the business has continued to grow in the 16 months or so since it opened. 

The Food 
Catering is a definitely a specialty at Johnny C’s, with everything from great sandwiches to shrimp scampi, chicken parmigiana, garlic knots & so much more available. 

With his New Jersey Italian roots and extensive cooking training and experience, Erik says that although it was never his goal to run a restaurant, he loves the bustle in Johnny C’s open kitchen when the restaurant has a large weekend crowd and even the quieter times, when he can work on tweaking and perfecting his recipes. 

“Our menu hasn’t changed much since we opened,” Erik says, “but I have made minor adjustments here and there.” 

That means Erik is still dusting Johnny C’s pizza crusts with garlic and one of his favorite pizzas — the “Yea, Babe!” — was named after his father-in-law, Grandpa Bill’s favorite saying. The Yea Babe! features pink vodka sauce (instead of traditional red pizza sauce), Italian sausage and mozzarella. The other specialty pizzas on the menu are all named for the five boroughs of New York City, as well as SoHo, but you can get any of the 18 pizza toppings on the menu — from anchovies to sundried tomatoes — on any of the three sizes of pizza and in the calzones. You can even get your pizza made with a gluten-free cauliflower crust, which has become Jannah’s favorite pizza at Johnny C’s, even though she’s not on any kind of gluten-free diet. 

And, although none of his specialty pizzas include it, as so many are these days, Erik does also offer Mike’s Hot Honey in individual-sized mini-tubs and he always asks his new customers ordering pizza if they’ve tried it. “It’s definitely a game-changer,” he says. “It gives your favorite pizza a little extra ‘kick’ and many customers are now coming back and asking for it by name, no matter what kind of pizza they like best.” His fried calamari appetizer also is made with the Mike’s Hot Honey. 

And, while Erik offers a lot of different seafood pasta dishes (“partly because I saw that the other Italian places in New Tampa didn’t offer a lot of it”), other than his Linguini VongolĂ© (with clams, white wine and butter; it’s also offered with marinara), I can’t eat most of them because the dishes have either shrimp, mussels, or both. Even so, he says his shrimp marinara, his two “Fra Diavlo” dishes (literally meaning “Among the Devil” because of their crushed red pepper “heat”) — shrimp Fra Diavlo and “Frutti di Mare (“Fruits of the Sea,” which has shrimp, mussels, clams and calamari) have all proven to be very popular. “But our #1 seafood dish is still our shrimp scampi,” Erik says. 

Speaking of customer favorites, Erik also says his other top sellers are the Italian meatball appetizer and Momma’s lasagna, but whether you prefer tender chicken or eggplant parmigiana over spaghettini, penne a la vodka, chicken or shrimp Alfredo, ravioli pomodoro or chicken Marsala or piccata, I have no doubt you’ll enjoy Erik’s house-made sauces. They’ve become so popular he also sells the marinara, vodka, Alfredo and Marsala sauces by the quart. 


Co-owner & chef Erik Ravenna puts pizzas in boxes for a catering order. 

The Italian meatballs are a Johnny C’s best seller.

“We also sell a lot of our garlic knots,” Erik says, “but you gotta dip ‘em in the ‘gravy’ (marinara) for the best flavor.” 

Johnny C’s also serves a variety of “grinders” (I call them “subs”), including the Italian — with capicola, salami, ham, provolone, tomato, onion, banana peppers and roasted red peppers, plus creamy Italian dressing — and hot grinders like meatball and chicken parm. 

Try Johnny C’s hand-piped cannolis with crushed pistachio nuts and/or chocolate chips. 

Finish off your meal with delicious hand-piped cannolis. I didn’t know I loved them with pistachios until I had them at Johnny C’s. “They’ll make you forget you’re in Pasco County,” Erik said, even though he knows the restaurant is actually located within the City of Tampa limits. 


Johnny C’s also serves beer and wine (for those 21 & older) and has a great $6.95 kids menu. Among the different specials are “Wednesday is a Pastability,” when you get a second pasta entrĂ©e 1/2-off with the purchase of a pasta entrĂ©e, and “Thursday Night Out,” when you can buy one entrĂ©e and get the second 1/2-off. 

Johnny C’s Italian Eatery (10970 Cross Creek Blvd.) is open for dinner only Mon.-Thur. (4 p.m.-9 p.m.) and for lunch and dinner (11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.) Fri.-Sun. For more info, call (813) 278-8020 or visit JohnnyCsItalianEatery.com. Your Booster Club also can hold its Spirit Days at the restaurant. Call during business hours for details. 

Johnny C’s Italian Eatery — Where New Tampa Gets Treated Like Family! 

Erik Ravenna (left) & Pat Ciaccio are the owners of Johnny C’s Italian Eatery on Cross Creek Blvd. (Photos by Charmaine George)

Even though there are other pretty great options for Italian food in New Tampa, if you like feeling like family as you enjoy traditional comfort food “Italiano,” you need to visit my friends Pat Ciaccio and Erik Ravenna at Johnny C’s Italian Eatery, located in the small plaza on Cross Creek Blvd. at Morris Bridge Rd. 

Jannah and I — and photographer Charmaine George — have visited Johnny C’s often since it opened in May of this year and there’s no doubt that the restaurant named for Pat’s father Johnny (a long-time restaurateur himself) is more of a sit-down restaurant than Precinct Pizza, the previous eatery in the same space. 

Pat and Erik, who also worked together at Saddlebrook Resort, are long-time friends who both were looking for a new challenge — at least, that’s how Pat tells it. 

“Actually, the only reason I’m here doing this is because of Pat,” Erik counters. “I wasn’t really looking to run a kitchen, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying myself.” 

Fried calamari

Former Saddlebrook owner Tom Dempsey and Erik’s brother Seth also helped open Johnny C’s, which has a large selection of seafood options, in addition to the usual calamari, linguine with clams, wings, NY-style pizzas, lasagna and other baked pastas, favorites like fettuccine Alfredo, chicken piccata and marsala and starters like bruschetta and fried mozzarella wedges. 

“I saw that New Tampa didn’t have places with a lot of seafood pasta options,” Ravenna says. “We have a mussels posillipo appetizer, plus Frutti di Mare (which translates to “fruits of the seas”) pasta, shrimp scampi, fra diavalo, parmigiana and marinara.” 

Ya gotta try the “Yea Babe!” pizza.

Erik also dusts Johnny C’s pizza crusts with garlic and named one of his favorites — the “Yea, Babe!” — after his father-in-law, Grandpa Bill’s favorite saying. The Yea Babe! features pink vodka sauce (instead of traditional red pizza sauce), Italian sausage and mozzarella. The other specialty pizzas on the menu are all named for the five boroughs of New York City, as well as SoHo, but you can get any of the 18 pizza toppings on the menu — from anchovies to sundried tomatoes — on any of the three sizes of pizza and in the calzones. You can even get your pizza made with a gluten-free cauliflower crust. 

“We have an open kitchen, and a dining room that might be a little louder than what you’re used to,” Erik says, “because we want you to enjoy our food the way Italian families do.” 


You can’t go wrong with a Johnny C’s Italian grinder.

Momma’s lasagne 

We already have quite a few favorites. The Momma’s lasagna is spot-on, the hand-breaded, fresh mozzarella wedges are delicious (“We weren’t going to do frozen string cheese sticks like a lot of places do,” Erik says), the calamari is made with Mike’s hot honey and parmigiana cheese in the batter and served with banana peppers, the tasty Johnny C’s Italian grinder features capicola, salami, ham, provolone, tomato, onion, banana peppers and roasted red peppers, plus creamy Italian dressing (“The way my dad would make it at home,” Pat says) and there also are hot grinders like meatball and chicken parm. I also love Erik’s linguine vongolĂ© (with fresh clams). You also can’t go wrong with the penne vodka, chicken or eggplant parmigiana, baked penne or spaghettini & meatballs. 

We honestly have only ever tried the house and Caesar salads (both very good), but there’s also a blue cheese wedge, antipasto and caprese salads and you can add chicken or shrimp to the salads for $4 more. 

Finish off your meal with delicious cannolis.

Save room for dessert, too. From delicious cannolis to the tartufo gelato bomb with hot fudge and whipped cream, there’s no better way to top off a great meal, and Johnny C’s recently added beer and wine, too. And yes, there’s also a kids menu, with all items just $6.95. 

And, Johnny C’s has daily specials, like “Manic Monday” (free mozzarella wedges with purchase of a large pizza); “Take-Out Tuesday” (15% off all take-out orders); also on Tuesday, one kid 10 & under eats free with each adult entrĂ©e purchased); “Wednesday is a Pastability,” when you get a second pasta entrĂ©e 1/2-off with the purchase of a pasta entrĂ©e, and “Thursday Night Out,” when you can buy one entrĂ©e and get the second 1/2-off. 

Johnny C’s Italian Eatery (10970 Cross Creek Blvd.) is open 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. every day. For info, call (813) 278-8020, visit JohnnyCsItalianEatery.com. Catering also is a specialty and your Booster Club can hold its Spirit Days at the restaurant. Call during business hours for details. 


Mozzarella wedges

Johnny C’s linguine vongolĂ© 

If you like mussels, try the mussels posillipo appetizer.