Casa Mia has reopened after a revamp, following the restaurant passing hands to Rochelle Brady and Cosmin Stroe. The latter took on the challenge after running and managing one of the top restaurants in Jersey – going solo after eight years to fulfil a lifelong dream. His partner Rochelle is a born and bred Jersey girl bringing her own creative spin to Casa Mia. With a great love of food and top-notch dining experiences, they hoped to create a place where customers can come to eat amazing dishes and share stories over wine, all whilst feeling well looked after. We asked them about the ups and downs of taking over the business, how they turned things around and what the new Casa Mia brings to the island.
“When the previous owner retired, we had the opportunity to take on something of an institution, whilst putting a fresh spin on it. It was too good a chance to not take on – we wanted to add to the brilliance of the hospitality sector in Jersey, and influence the direction it was going in.
The restaurant has kept its name, but changed its style. At the new Casa we wanted to retain much of the old charm – we know so many people have such fond memories there. Our course of action was to freshen up the menu and give the old girl some new style. She’s still as warm as ever – just better looking, with a new menu. We’re so excited to introduce people who have never been to Casa Mia to the restaurant, so they get a chance to experience it now.
The restaurant itself has great bones, and it was important to us to retain that cosy charm – all whilst giving it somewhat of a more curated style and some good old fashioned Italian allure. The artwork was all sourced to reflect the story of Italian culture – much of the photography is shot in Italy between the 60s and 70s. You’ll find a few Italian icons on the walls, including Charles ‘lucky’ Luciano, a Sicilian mafia boss who watches over our wine rack!
Our new menu is refined to represent the classic elegance of Italian menus and restaurants, serving honest, beautifully presented, tasty dishes. The pollo all’arrabiatta is quickly becoming a firm favourite, as well as the Tartufi Pizza.
The process of taking over Casa Mia wasn’t always easy. We did the majority of the refurb ourselves, and I’m pretty pregnant, which came with its own set of challenges! Old buildings tend to have old problems, and we came across our fair share of these. But there is a point where the vision starts to come together, and that feels really magical. We can’t wait to show the restaurant to our newest member of the family when they arrive!
I think the most exciting part of reopening the restaurant is watching people come together over meals, in a space that we have shaped and a menu we have put together – be that anything from girl’s night, a wedding anniversary, or a special birthday. We know so many people have such fond memories of occasions celebrated at Casa Mia in the past, and that is something we really hope to honour going forward. To be the backdrop to someone’s milestones and celebrations is really special.”Casa Mia has reopened after a revamp, following the restaurant passing hands to Rochelle Brady and Cosmin Stroe. The latter took on the challenge after running and managing one of the top restaurants in Jersey – going solo after eight years to fulfil a lifelong dream. His partner Rochelle is a born and bred Jersey girl bringing her own creative spin to Casa Mia. With a great love of food and top-notch dining experiences, they hoped to create a place where customers can come to eat amazing dishes and share stories over wine, all whilst feeling well looked after. We asked them about the ups and downs of taking over the business, how they turned things around and what the new Casa Mia brings to the island.
