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Gioia Mia, which translates to "My Joy" has taken over the spot formerly held by Fascino, at 331 Bloomfield Ave. in Montclair. The restaurant is now run by Mary Cumella, who was general manager of Fascino, with Logan Ramirez, who was chef de cusine at Fascino, serving as an executive chef.
Cumella said she had planned to open Gioia Mia at another location but plans fell through. She initially ran Gioia Mia as a pop-up concept at Fascino's and received "incredible" feedback.
"The guests loved it," Cumella said. "They said it was the best meal they had at Fascino in 20 years."
Cumella has kept the same staff and said the menu has some similarities, though instead of the traditional Italian cuisine Fascino was known for, their menu is more seasonable, serving contemporary American cuisine.
"We use a lot of local farms as opposed to big companies," Cumella said. "We get specific items from specific places. We're looking to serve the best quality."
Gioia Mia pays tribute to Cumella's grandmother, who passed away last October. Cumella's grandmother used to call her "gioia mia."
"She's the whole reason I got into the food industry," Cumella said.
Having attended culinary school, Cumella assists with all aspects of the restaurant, working in the front, while also overseeing the dishes and menu.
"This is the concept we always wanted to do," Cumella said. "There are other Italian restaurants in Montclair, we wanted to do something different."
Cumella raves about the heritage pork chop, chicken liver mousse, and the pasta, which is made in-house and has offerings like braised duck and taleggio triangoli and squid ink mafaldine.
Cumella said she enjoys working the front of the house, greeting customers and seeing their reaction to the food.
"It all ties back to the meaning of the name," Cumella said. "Food is our life and I love being able to share that with other people.
On Tuesday, July 18, Gioia Mia is hosting a beer and hot sauce dinner, teaming up with Jersey Bonfire Hot Sauce, Mike's Pasta and Sandwich Shoppe, and New Jersey Beer Company. The five course meal includes sea bass with Indian Summer hot sauce and New Jersey Double IPA and pork chop al pastor with roasted peach habanero hot sauce and Swedish Fish sour.
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