This week’s interview just happens to be Mr. Gay Philadelphia 2008 — something I didn’t know until halfway through the conversation, but very timely as tomorrow a new Mr. Gay Philadelphia will be crowned. I spoke with Mr. Philly 2008, Johnny Caputo, during Sunday brunch at Q Lounge and Kitchen, which he manages. May I recommend the Santa Fe crabcake sandwich?
PGN: How long has Q Lounge been open? JC: We opened the spot on July 1, 2009. It’s a family-run business. My brother-in-law Steve and his brother Alex and I took it over from the Weiss brothers. I’m the general manager/managing partner.
PGN: How did you get into the business? JC: I’ve been in and around the restaurant business for the last 14 years. I worked my way up from barback to server to bartender to manager at various restaurants and clubs, and now I’m part-owner of Q Lounge. My last job was at Joe Pesce restaurant, where I worked for a few years. I even represented them in the Mr. [Gay] Philadelphia contest. Before that, I worked at Brasil’s in Old City.
PGN: How do your straight partners like being part of the LGBT community? JC: They love it. They’re very open-minded and have been around the community before. We have a great time.
PGN: Are you from Philadelphia? JC: Yes, I was born and raised in South Philadelphia. I’m first-generation American. My parents were from Southern Italy, the [region] of Calabria, and came to the United States in the ’50s.
PGN: Any siblings? JC: Yes, I have two older sisters, Angela and Antonella. I was the baby of the family. [Laughs.] A real mama’s boy!
PGN: So were you your sisters’ real-life dress-up doll? JC: Of course! Dress-up and rag doll!
PGN: What was the worst thing they used to do? JC: Tell me I was adopted. PGN: What was life like growing up in South Philly? JC: It was great. We had fun in our neighborhood. I went to Catholic school my entire life.
PGN: Was that difficult once you began to be attracted to other boys? JC: It was very hard, especially since it was an all-boys’ school, St. John Neumann High School. As soon as I hit puberty, I knew I was different. I was about 13 or 14 and, at first, I didn’t think I was normal until later when I met other gay people, and also there were a lot of things on TV that taught me that being gay was normal and that I wasn’t the only one.
PGN: How did the family react? JC: They all said they kind of knew! My mom cried a bit and struggled with it at first, but now she’s the most supportive mom ever.
PGN: What did your parents do? JC: My father was a tailor; he died when I was 14. My mother worked in a factory that manufactured Brooks Brothers suits. She’s still in South Philly.
PGN: So they both were in the clothing biz. Did any of the fashion bug rub off on you? JC: Yes, that’s what I majored in. I went to Philadelphia University and studied fashion marketing. I did that for four years as a buyer for a small boutique in Washington Square called Pileggi.
PGN: What do you remember most about your father? JC: Oh my God, my father was amazing. He was the kindest, loving and most outgoing person. He loved everyone and was accepting of everyone. Anyone was welcomed into our house.
PGN: How did he die? JC: He had Lou Gehrig’s disease, or ALS [amyotrophic lateral sclerosis].
PGN: What was a favorite outfit or piece of clothing when you were a kid? JC: Well, my father made all of my clothes, all of my suits and pants. I remember he made my communion suit. All white. He’d take my measurements and cut the patterns and let me help him out.
PGN: What’s your middle name? JC: I don’t have one!
PGN: Do you remember your first kiss? JC: I was at Woody’s for kiddy night. I was 18 and I met a boy and we kissed right then and there on the dance floor. We dated for quite a while after that.
PGN: So from your first kiss at Woody’s to managing Q Lounge … What’s one of the worst things you have to deal with? JC: People throwing up on the floor.
PGN: Something that makes you a good businessperson? JC: I’m really good with people. I like the interactions with different people in the club.
PGN: Any celebrity encounters? JC: We had Pamela Anderson here at Q Lounge a few months ago. She was in town to promote something and a friend of one of our employees knew the person she was out with, so they brought her here for a minute. She asked people not to take pictures, but she was really nice. We gave her a couple bottles of champagne.
PGN: Did she look good up close and in person? JC: Yeah, she did. She was really pretty and had on a cute little white dress. I also met Lorraine Bracco from “The Sopranos.” She came out with a line of wines and she was doing an event at the restaurant where I was working. She was also very sweet. [Laughs.] The funniest thing is that she kept trying to hook me up with her daughter.
PGN: Not the most observant person. JC: Not a clue!
PGN: Ever play any sports? JC: I played Little League Baseball. I loved it even if I wasn’t very good.
PGN: What position did you play? JC: You know, I don’t even know. That was the only time I did any kind of sports.
PGN: What was your favorite thing to pretend when you were little? JC: I would take scraps of leftover material from my father and use it as a cape. I’d run around and pretend I was Superman!
PGN: What’s the best thing you’ve ever won? JC: I guess that would be Mr. Gay Philadelphia.
PGN: How’d that come about? JC: Bruce Yelk [organizer of Mr. Gay Philadelphia] and some friends of mine really pushed me to do it. I had a good time — my whole family came to the competition and supported me. My sister had a big sign and everything.
PGN: And what does the competition consist of? JC: It’s fun. We have a swimsuit segment and a formal-wear segment and if you get to the top five, there’s a Q&A from the judges.
PGN: What are your duties? JC: I do a lot of LGBT events around town and I represent the city at the national competition in San Francisco.
PGN: Did you make friends with any other Mr.’s? JC: Yeah, I got to be friends with Mr. Alabama. I made friends with people from lots of cities, but we still keep in contact.
PGN: So is Mr. 2008 with a steady date? JC: No, I’m single right now.
PGN: Now to bar stuff. What alcohol can you never drink again? JC: Jägermeister. Not good. It’s like drinking cough syrup. I get sick.
PGN: What’s your drink of choice? JC: Vodka on the rocks, preferably Stoli Orange. If I’m going easy, it’s vodka and club soda.
PGN: Do you believe in ghosts? JC: I think there’s one at Q! I was in my office one night and suddenly the radio started playing. It was kind of freaky, because it wasn’t on but it was still playing by itself.
PGN: Do you speak Italian? JC: Yes, I do.
PGN: Ever use it to listen in on conversations? JC: Yeah, just last night there was a guy at Q speaking Italian. I was listening to his conversation and then I started talking to him. He was surprised to find out I could understand.
PGN: Food you’d eat if you couldn’t get fat? JC: Cheeseburgers. I love cheeseburgers. PGN: Favorite movie? JC: “The Notebook.” I’ve watched it about 10 times and I cry every time I see it.
PGN: Hobbies? JC: I love working out and bike riding in the summer. And I love to cook, love to cook.
PGN: What’s your best dish? JC: My meatballs. I use my mother’s recipe.
PGN: What’s the farthest you’ve traveled? JC: All over Europe. Italy of course, and London, Amsterdam, Belgium, Paris, all over the place. I studied for a year abroad when I was in school for fashion and I back-packed all over the continent. It was a great experience, meeting people from all over.
PGN: Was it scary at all traveling by yourself? JC: No, I felt pretty comfortable most places. The only thing that scares me are heights, so going up onto the Eiffel Tower and places like that were fun, but I couldn’t look over.
PGN: If you could go back in time, which period would you choose? JC: It would have to be the ’70s. I love the disco music of that era and the idea of partying at Studio 54 and all those great clubs from back then would be amazing. I love the clothing, the music, everything.
PGN: Boxers, briefs or commando? JC: Uh, briefs.
PGN: Any tattoos or piercings? JC: I have two tattoos. I have a cross on my back in memory of my dad and a zodiac sign on my arm.
PGN: What sign are you and do you fit the description? JC: I’m a Sagittarius. It’s a fire sign and we’re supposed to be very loyal and very outgoing, but we can be all over the place at times, which fits with the bar business.
PGN: What’s a quality you admire in a man? JC: A good personality, someone who can make me laugh. Someone who is giving and loyal. Tall, dark and handsome doesn’t hurt either!
PGN: Two sounds you love and one you hate? JC: I love the sound of the ocean and of birds chirping in the spring. I hate the sound of something scraping on a chalkboard. Brrrrr. I don’t even like to think about it.
PGN: If you could be an animal, what would you be? JC: A horse. I love horses. When we used to visit my grandparents in Italy, we stayed on their farm and got to play with and ride the horses. And a Sagittarius is half man, half horse so I’m already halfway there.
PGN: Last time you laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose? JC: We have a drag show on Wednesday nights and our MC is Mimi Imfurst and she’s hilarious. I don’t know about soda out the nose, but she makes me laugh until I pee my pants.
PGN: So are you going to the Mr. Gay Philadelphia contest tomorrow? JC: Yes, I’m one of the judges. May the best man win. To suggest a community member for “Professional Portraits,” write to: Professional Portraits, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 or [email protected].