About Caprial and John

For the past seventeen years Caprial and John Pence have owned and operated Caprial's Bistro, a restaurant located in a small quaint neighborhood just southeast of downtown Portland Oregon. The Pences' share a passion for food that has been cultivated over the years.

The paths that they have traveled to reach the present have, however, been quite different. John and Caprial grew up on opposite coasts. Both gravitated toward cooking. Caprial's passion for cooking was sparked at an early age while John's was fueled by a post graduation restaurant job. Their paths crossed at the Culinary Institute of America where they attended school.

In the mid-eighties, following graduation, the Pences' moved to Seattle, a city that they credit for launching their culinary careers. Experiences combined, they have worked in every size and style restaurant imaginable. Ten years ago Caprial teamed up with the Learning Channel to do a cooking show, Caprial's Cafe. Several years later the cooking series moved to Public Television. In 2000, Caprial and John began to do the show together, Cooking with Caprial & John. In September of 2003, the Pences' co-produced the most recent series with OPB, Caprial & John's Kitchen; Cooking for Friends and Family. The series will air nationally on public television stations. Caprial alone has written eight cookbooks, the most recent was co-authored with John, and assumes the role of the companion book to the Caprial & John's Kitchen series, titled Caprial & John's Kitchen; Recipes for Cooking Together.