One member of BTS, V (Kim Taehyung), has expressed his admiration for the Bay Area's pizza, declaring it "dynamite." During their performance at Stanford Stadium on Saturday, May 16th, V reportedly praised the local cuisine, telling the audience, "Next time we're at Stanford, we'll indulge in that yummy pizza." The San Francisco Chronicle and social media clips circulated the statement, with V adding, "I think Stanford's got the best pizza."
Although the South Korean boy band didn't name a specific restaurant, fans conducted some research and discovered they had dined at Redwood City's Vesta on Monday, May 11th. Courtney Borrone, who co-owns Vesta with her husband Peter Borrone, was "very surprised" by the star-studded visit. She explains, "We have a lot of tech and Silicon Valley big names here, but not really like celebrity status, so it was very exciting. They're like the biggest pop band in the world."
Vesta didn't post about the group's appearance, hoping they would return. The band was accompanied by security, and the restaurant wanted to maintain a "very professional, private experience" to ensure their comfort. However, some diners recognized them as they left and snapped photos with them. Courtney wasn't there that night but heard that BTS's members were "very sweet and kind." She adds, "Everybody was very excited about the situation. It's a very big deal for us."
The band ordered popular dishes like sausage and honey pizza, carbonara pizza, pepperoni pizza, and some small plates. BTS returned a week later on Monday, May 18th, when Courtney says they enjoyed "a lot of desserts." When V gave a shout-out to the pizza at their concert, Courtney received messages from friends sharing the footage. She says, "It was kind of mind-blowing. I can't believe they brought up pizza that they ate. That's crazy. But apparently, V really loves pizza; it's like his thing, so that makes a lot of sense that he might bring that up."
Vesta experienced its busiest Monday ever due to visits from BTS fans. Courtney explains, "It's been really crazy busy with all these people in town for the show, visiting and wanting to eat their favorite pizza." Her husband was present when they arrived last night, and she adds, "He kind of helped to try and maintain their privacy, but he said it was awesome. They kept telling him, 'You're number one.'"
Vesta is a wood-fired pizza spot that also serves small plates, salads, and vegetables, sourcing local and organic food. The couple opened the establishment nearly 14 years ago. Courtney says, "It's just the kind of restaurant where we want to serve food that we love, that we think is delicious, and make it kind of like a very family-friendly, enjoyable, hospitable experience."
