His dad owned a restaurant in Seven Kings – named after the family trattoria in southern Italy – while his maternal grandad Gerardo Blasotta sold ice-cream on Hampstead Heath and around Camden Town.
So it was perhaps inevitable that aged 19 Luca opened his first restaurant in Kentish Town – called Rossella, just like his dad’s place.
Luca’s grandfather Gerardo Blasotta with his ice-cream van in 1972 on College Place in Camden Town. (Image: Courtesy of Luca Meola)
Located in Highgate Road, it offers a warm welcome, classic pastas, pizza, and Italian dishes based on family recipes.
Luca expanded during the pandemic into the neighbouring shop and is about to make his biggest leap yet – taking on a space in Muswell Hill that’s twice the size of his current restaurant.
And pride of place on the walls are black and white photos of his grandad selling ice-cream, his dad’s restaurant, and his wedding last year back in southern Italy.
Natalina Blasotta and Gerardo with their ice-cream van in 1993 on Parliament Hill. (Image: Courtesy of Luca Meola)
“I always dreamed of having a second restaurant, we have such a great team and we wanted to bring what we do to another community,” he says.
“But it’s a bit daunting, probably the most stressful thing I’ve done.”
Standing in the half-finished Rossella mark two, which is due to open in early May, he reasons that gambling to double in size during the pandemic paid off, and so could this.
“I have spent everything I have – and more – so it has to work. It will work.
“It is a tough time to open a restaurant but we run a tight ship and work hard. Besides, you don’t do restaurants to get rich, you do it because you love creating an experience for the customer. We really care about what we do.”
Luca Meola lives in Kentish Town where he opened his first restaurant at the age of 19. (Image: Bridget Galton)
The restaurant in Muswell Hill Road will have an outdoor terrace with planters, a deli area selling bottles of wine, olive oil and limoncello from the family farm in southern Italy, and a Negroni bar where drinkers can enjoy snacks and starters.
One side will serve pizzas, while the main dining room will offer the full menu, including steak, fish, and a vintage trolley bearing tiramisu “for a little bit of theatre tableside”.
The recipe includes Tia Maria and Disaronno plus “really good mascarpone and fresh egg yolks”.
“The key is quality ingredients,” shares Luca, who lives in Kentish Town with his wife and sausage dog Chips.
“We are a community restaurant and we are packed. I really like the community here in Muswell Hill and they have a lot of independents like us,” he says.
In keeping with the family story, Luca has gone for a “retro” look with 70s style geometric wallpaper and lights, green tiles and frosted glass.
“Everything references my family,” he says. “The original Rossella opened in Italy in the 60s then my dad opened his first one in Seven Kings in 1984.
“My mum’s dad came over from Italy and was a chef at the Savoy – then managed to buy a house in north west London from selling ice-cream and lollies out of a van.
“We want this to feel like it’s not a new restaurant but has been here for years. And we want to feel we are telling a real story not a fake one.
“With us you get a warmth that you don’t get from a chain. Our staff all have this great feeling with the customers, the way they do a birthday is amazing.
“For me it’s all about that community feel.”
