Business Profile: Come Sea Me, Seafood, White Plains
By Paige Leskin: It’s not a common thought to associate frozen yogurt and seafood. The resemblance between them, besides that they can both be used as sustenance, is unclear and nonexistent.
However, Anthony Caputo, restaurant owner and businessman, has figured out how to connect them. Already the owner of the White Plains self-serve frozen yogurt venue Delicious Licks, he recently opened seafood restaurant Come Sea Me.
Just a couple of storefronts down from his first place on Mamaroneck Avenue, the small restaurant has a very similar feel. Delicious Licks is known for its vibrant atmosphere, with flashing lights and eye-catching designs on the windows and walls.
The surroundings of Come Sea Me are just as striking. The entire restaurant is made with an under-the-sea theme, from the murky blue ceiling, walls, and floor to the swimming mermaids painted around the room. Cushioned seats were tucked into the tables and around the bar, where the signature LED lights were flashing.
The atmosphere was created entirely from the imagination of Caputo, who put his heart into designing the place. “I like to think out-of-the-box, do things differently,” he said.
Come Sea Me started just as a dream for Caputo, as he found he lacked the knowledge of running a restaurant. So, he turned to friend Michael Polito, who acts as head chef of the restaurant. “He had a vision and had the ideas,” Polito said. “He just needed a chef’s help.”
Caputo and Polito, who live together as roommates in White Plains, have known each other since childhood. Their friendship buds from their mothers, who were best friends when they were younger.
Polito credits his culinary career to his mom, who cooked elaborate dinners for him and his friends when he was younger. “She had a handmade pasta roller that she would use to make her special lasagna,” he said, recounting old memories. “I remember that the bed would be covered by the pasta sheets when she would make them and lay them out,” he said.
Polito’s mother also got him his first job at a restaurant. Working as a waitress at the Jersey shore, where the family grew up, his mother got Polito a summer job as a dishwasher at a small seafood shack. But, luck soon came to Polito in the form of July 4th weekend, one of the busiest times for the restaurant. The college-aged cooks ditched work to party for the day, and the kitchen was left empty.
“I was put on the line with no experience,” Polito said. “But I got through the day and was made a cook.” At just 16, he became the head of the kitchen.
He did not attend culinary school, but Polito learned the rest about cooking from a few chefs and friends. “They took me under their wings and trained me. I worked with them to get to the point where I am now,” he said.
Caputo and Polito decided to open Come Sea Me quietly, as to work out the problems and perfect the restaurant. As of now, they are trying to attract locals by word-of-mouth, as people come into the restaurant and enjoy the food.
“So far, we’re getting great feedback about the food,” Polito said. He prides his food in being simple, not covered in heavy sauces. “The fish should be the primary flavor. I accent it with fresh herbs, oil, and lemon,” he said.
Polito is motivated by his customers, and says he cooks for them. “When I go out to the table and they say it’s the best fish they’ve ever tasted, that keeps me going,” he said. “It means I’m making them happy. The gratification keeps me in this.”
Polito has learned over his year of cooking to be creative, and to keep experimenting. “I once made a fresh tuna dish as the special that I had a dream about the night before,” he said.
Even though the restaurant is still in its first few months of business, Polito is confident with its future. “You go through the good and the bad. It’s all pieces to the puzzle,” he said. “I think it’ll be a really successful restaurant.”
Come Sea Me Seafood is located at 74 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains. Telephone: 914-615-9532.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
