Bob Cioffi (pronounced choffee), owns Bernardo’s Restaurant in Hanson with his wife, Candi. Cioffi, 58, was raised in Jamaica Plain, worked in a number of delicatessens in the Financial District, and bought an existing establishment, Cataldi’s Restaurant and Banquet Facility, in 1985, which he ran for 18 years. For several years after that, he leased out the space, then returned two years ago and renamed the spot Bernardo’s, after his father. He calls Bernardo’s “Italian with a little bit of an international flair.’’ Cioffi now teaches cooking classes two Tuesday nights a month, for which students pay $45. They watch Cioffi prepare a dozen specialties, and then taste. “One day I thought, I’m going to do cooking classes, why don’t I make it a night out? I try to keep it to 20 to 24 students. I want people to be able to ask any question they like.’’ While he cooks, a videographer films him. Students can buy a DVD for $24.95.
Q. What are your customers looking for?
A. They like traditional Italian. Comfort food. By that I mean different Parmesans, sauteed dishes like veal saltimbocca. Anything that’s done in a pan, with a lighter touch, all the marsalas, the piccatas, the francaises. Even though it’s French, it’s very popular in an Italian restaurant.
Q. What is the francaise preparation?
A. Dip it in flour, then beaten eggs, then sear it in hot oil and finish with a little white wine, squeeze a little fresh lemon on it, and add a little butter. Typically you use a boneless chicken breast, piece of haddock, cod, shrimp, scallops. I’ve done it with pork.
Q. Give me an example of one of your pasta dishes.
A. Baked ziti with eggplant with a combination of ricotta, mascarpone, basil, tomato sauce. It’s baked with mozzarella cheese, served on marinara sauce. Delicious dish. For $11.95 you get a lot of food. No one says you have to eat it all.
Q. What else are you known for?
A. My eggplant Parmesan. I peel and salt my eggplant, then I slice it lengthwise - thin - then I dip it in flour, then egg, then I saute it. I lay it on a sizzle platter, put some mozzarella on it, bake it for 45 seconds, individually roll it and put it on top of pasta. They come from everywhere for that dish.
Q. Sounds like your customers are not watching their waistlines.
A. Half of what I cook here is not on my menu. Whatever dietary requests they want, I make. Sometimes I’m making bizarre combinations.
Q. Like what?
A. Take vegetables, put them in the Cuisinart and puree them. Some combinations they give me, I think, these just don’t go!
Q. Tell me a request you got that ended with an interesting dish.
A. I took fresh tomatoes, olive oil-garlic marinade with a little fresh oregano. I baked that on top of haddock. No breadcrumbs, no butter. Put it under the broiler and it had a fabulous flavor.
Q. How many seats are in your restaurant?
A. The restaurant seats 100, the lounge 50, the function room 185.
Q. What’s it like on a full weekend night?
A. Madness!
Interview was condensed and edited. 
