Lakewood Ranch area pizzeria offers more than pizza

At heart, John Cox has always been a foodie.

As a restaurant manager, he loves to try new recipes and re-create ones that delighted his taste buds.

During a ski trip to New Mexico in 1995, he ate a green chili stew twice a day for each of the four days he was there. He wanted to figure out how to make it. To this day, it’s a recipe he still cooks at home.

“Wherever I have found great food, I learn to make it,” he said. “It’s a passion of mine to perfect food. My home is a test

kitchen.”

A former manager for PDQ and former owner and operator of Ya Ya’s Flame Broiled Chicken franchises, Cox has a new East County venture.

On Sept. 10, he opened Santino’s, a gourmet pizzeria, Italian bistro and pub. 

Along with the pizza, Santino’s serves wings, lasagna, pasta, salads and sandwiches. 

Cox said recipes are ones he has worked to perfect. 

For example, the sausage and lentil soup recipe is one he learned from his days working for Outback Steakhouse, and the Italian beef sandwich uses the special Turano roll.

Cox’s chicken wings are baked, then fried so they have the perfect crunch.

“People roll their eyes when I say we have the best wings in town, until they taste them,” he said. 

“They’re crunchy and crispy.”

Cox earned a degree in business in 1990 from Wofford College in South Carolina. By 1992, he had moved to Tampa and began working in restaurants. 

His first management job was with Outback Steakhouse. From 2001 to 2012, he owned and operated three franchise locations for Ya Ya’s Flame Broiled Chicken.

“Even though I’m a financial guy, I’m not a guy who exists well in a cubicle,” Cox said.

As the owner and operator of Santino’s, Cox is on the site daily. The restaurant only has five booths and a handful of tables, including outdoor seating. A bar area is where customers can come for a drink, to dine, or wait for an order to go.

He likes to have guests sample menu items while they wait. Cox said doing so shows them the variety on the menu and encourages them to try things they may not normally purchase.

“That’s something you can do in a small setting,” Cox said of sampling. “Our focus is exceptional food. The experience is great. I get to meet the folks coming in. It’s all guest centered.”

Cox said the restaurant name is a tribute to his grandfather, Roy Cox Jr., who was nicknamed Sonny — “Santino” in Italian.