Casa Bella enjoys new home on Main Street in Hampden

June 10, 2016 | Chris Goudreau
cgoudreau@thereminder.com

Casa Bella co-owners Mario Ferrentino (left) and Mike Connors (right) pose on Casa Bella’s stage at the restaurant’s new Hampden location.
Reminder Publications photos by Chris Goudreau

HAMPDEN – Casa Bella Italian Kitchen and Bar has made Hampden its new home. The restaurant had a soft opening on June 7 at its 546 Main St. location. The eatery originally opened in South Windsor, CT, in 2009.  

Mike Connors, one of the co-owners of Casa Bella, told Reminder Publications he was looking to expand the restaurant and the Main Street location was ideal – especially the existing patio and bar room.

“I thought it was a great location,” he explained. “If I was worried about it, we probably wouldn’t have done it. In all fairness, we think we’re a fit for the community. We’re family oriented and we’re here to stay.”

The location was the former home to McLadden’s Irish Publick House.

He added he and his wife Gina as well as Gina’s brother Mario Ferrentino, who is also a co-owner, are all originally from East Longmeadow.

“We spend all of our time in Western Mass.,” Connors said. “It kind of made sense.”

Ferrentino described the move to Hampden as a “no brainer.”

He added, “We have a lot of ties to the community and it’s an area that’s supported by families … You can go to a chain, everyone can, but it’s not home.”

Connors said the restaurant tries to make customers “feel like family.”

He added, “You come over, you’ll get a great fresh prepared meal at a really fair price [with] excellent portions. We’re always here. We’re not just owners. It’s owner operated.”

There has been “a lot of buzz” about the restaurant opening up in Hampden, Connors said.

“It seems like the people in Hampden really want to support whoever’s in town,” he noted. “It kind of works hand in hand. We like to support the community and it seems like the community wants to support us.”

Casa-Bella-Hampden-3.jpgGina said the name of the restaurant is Italian for “beautiful house.” She said the original location looked like a house and the Hampden restaurant also has features resembling a home.

Casa Bella’s menu includes traditional Italian dishes such as chicken francaise, parmigiana, and pizzas as well as specials such twists on old favorites such as Pazzo Alfredo – a dish of sautéed chicken, sausage, bacon, peppers, onions, mushrooms and olives, tossed with tortellini in homemade alfredo sauce.

Gina said the dish means “crazy alfredo” in Italian.

“The combination of flavors is extraordinary,” she noted. “I highly recommend it … This has a twist to it.”

A list of some of the specialty pizzas offered at Casa Bella include “The Gigi” an oil and garlic sauce based pizza with eggplant, spinach, ricotta, and mozzarella, as well as “Claudio’s Favorite Alfredo,” an alfredo sauce-based pizza with chicken, bacon, peppers, onions, and mozzarella.

Ferrentino said his father came to the United States from a small town outside of Naples, Italy, when he was 10 years old and brought his family recipes with him, which was incorporated into his father’s restaurant, Teresa’s Restaurant on Route 32 in Ware, which was started 35 years ago.

“I’ve been working in there since I was old enough to walk,” he explained. “I worked my way up to dishwashing all the way up to cooking. Everything I have to thank for my success is my parents and my family.”    

Gina said her husband began working for her father when they were teenagers as a pizza maker. The couple married in 2008 and with her father’s blessing decided to open Casa Bella the following year.

Casa Bella also makes use of “tried and true” family recipes, Mike Connors said.

Mike said they began looking at the location in October in November and decided to purchase the property over the early winter. Since then, the owners have been working to renovate the restaurant to fit the Casa Bella aesthetic.

“We painted; we added tile floors; we refinished the hardwood; we did all sorts of new renovations,” he added. “We cleaned it up and brought in all new equipment.”

The restaurant also has a stage for entertainment, which should begin use in the next few weeks as well as an all alcohol bar.

For more information about Casa Bella visit www.facebook.com/Casa-Bella-Italian-Kitchen-Bar-249618685057581.

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