{"recordId":"st_jsvlncomsorr348t","canonicalUrl":"https://sotwire.com/stories/la-casetta-new-bern-head-chef-francesco-part-owner","jsonUrl":"https://sotwire.com/stories/la-casetta-new-bern-head-chef-francesco-part-owner/record","slug":"la-casetta-new-bern-head-chef-francesco-part-owner","headline":"Head chef Francesco becomes a part owner of La Casetta in New Bern","dek":"Francesco has been head chef since shortly after the restaurant opened in 2015. The website says the change keeps an owner present as founder Piero Passalacqua gives more time to Gemelli, a downtown deli.","articleBody":"Francesco started cooking in Carini, Sicily, in a pizza shop owned by Francesco's father. Today the head chef of La Casetta, the Italian restaurant on Neuse Boulevard in New Bern, is also a part owner, the restaurant's website says.\n\nThe history page ties the change to Gemelli Italian Deli & Bagelry, the downtown deli and bagel shop that opened in February 2025. As founder Piero Passalacqua gave more time to Gemelli, Francesco became a part owner so that La Casetta \"would always have an owner present and actively involved in its day-to-day operations.\" The website does not say when the change took effect.\n\nThe new owner is family. Francesco earned two culinary degrees from the Institute of Higher Education \"Ugo Mursia\" in Sicily, the team page says. Francesco also worked with cousin Piero at La Casetta in Robersonville and then at La Casetta in Scotland Neck.\n\nFrancesco moved to New Bern in 2014. Shortly after the New Bern restaurant opened in 2015, the history page says, Piero invited Francesco to join as head chef and kitchen manager.\n\nThe kitchen is not the only handoff. The team page says Piero and Paula Passalacqua are beginning to step into retirement and passing the restaurant to their children. Giuliana, a daughter of Piero and Paula Passalacqua, has been general manager since September 2021. Rachael is bar manager.\n\nMatteo, Giuliana's twin, moved full time to Gemelli as its general manager in February 2025. On some Friday and Saturday evenings, Matteo still works at La Casetta.","category":"other","categoryLabel":"Company news","location":"New Bern, NC","company":{"name":"La Casetta New Bern","domain":"lacasettanc.com"},"sample":false,"sampleDisclaimer":null,"publishedAt":"2026-10-09T19:30:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-23T04:12:44.971Z","badge":"Desk reported","trust":{"level":"desk_reported","doctrine":"Sotwire verifies who at the company stood behind the submission. It does not independently certify every underlying company claim as true.","verifies":"which named Sotwire editor wrote this from the cited sources","doesNotCertify":"independent truth of every claim","badge":"Desk reported","verificationMethod":"Named Sotwire editor, from the cited sources. Not a company attestation, and not an independent fact-check of every sentence.","domainChecked":false},"attestation":{"attested":false},"confirmation":null,"facts":[{"label":"Restaurant","value":"La Casetta, 2503 Neuse Blvd., New Bern, NC"},{"label":"Head chef and part owner","value":"Francesco, from Carini, Sicily; the website does not give a surname"},{"label":"Training","value":"Two culinary degrees from the Institute of Higher Education \"Ugo Mursia\" in Sicily"},{"label":"Founders","value":"Piero and Paula Passalacqua"},{"label":"General manager","value":"Giuliana, since September 2021"},{"label":"Bar manager","value":"Rachael"},{"label":"Award badge","value":"Sun Journal 2025 Readers' Choice Awards \"Best of the Best\" New Bern; the site does not say in which category"},{"label":"Other La Casetta restaurants","value":"Robersonville, Bethel and Scotland Neck, each under separate owners, per the history page"}],"keyEvents":[{"date":"2021-09","label":"Giuliana became general manager of La Casetta New Bern"},{"date":"2025-02","label":"Gemelli Italian Deli & Bagelry opened in downtown New Bern"},{"date":"2025-02","label":"Matteo moved full time from La Casetta to Gemelli as general manager"}],"sources":[{"url":"https://www.lacasettanc.com/copy-of-about-us","title":"History of La Casetta","publisher":"La Casetta"},{"url":"https://www.lacasettanc.com/new-bern-2","title":"La Casetta New Bern team page","publisher":"La Casetta"},{"url":"https://gemellinewbern.com/our-story","title":"Our Story","publisher":"Gemelli Italian Deli & Bagelry"}],"source":{"url":"https://www.lacasettanc.com/copy-of-about-us","publisher":"La Casetta New Bern","publishedAt":null},"cover":{"url":"https://sotwire.com/covers/la-casetta-new-bern-head-chef-francesco-part-owner.webp","alt":"Head chef Francesco becomes a part owner of La Casetta in New Bern","provenance":"unknown","provenanceLabel":"Unknown origin","credit":null},"images":[{"id":"med_gaj41cbp3krn6tkq","url":"https://pub-ec2c7475154f4c22ba3162ee6eef7802.r2.dev/wire/lacasettanc.com/obj_hwaaa2zpt25lrkub-70d2d1_e880fa8a8136450abf9e66bea9482928-mv2.jpg","alt":"A man in a blue suit standing on a beach.","caption":"Francesco, head chef and part owner of La Casetta New Bern, in a portrait from the restaurant's team page.","credit":"Photo: La Casetta","lead":true,"provenance":"unknown","filename":"70d2d1_e880fa8a8136450abf9e66bea9482928~mv2.jpg"}],"provenanceMethod":"EXIF, XMP, and filename heuristic. Not C2PA cryptographic proof, and not a judgment that the depicted event is true.","provenanceDisclaimer":"v1 labels are heuristic (EXIF, XMP, filename), not cryptographic C2PA proof. Treat them as disclosure of observed metadata, not a guarantee that the image is genuine or that the depicted event is true.","citation":"Sotwire Desk, La Casetta New Bern. \"Head chef Francesco becomes a part owner of La Casetta in New Bern.\" Sotwire, October 9, 2026, https://sotwire.com/stories/la-casetta-new-bern-head-chef-francesco-part-owner. Record ID: st_jsvlncomsorr348t. Desk reported.","sampleLabel":null,"correctionStatus":"No public corrections recorded","integrity":{"algorithm":"sha-256","hex":"1b8b2fff3a9e51a4c04381d6d29f011969e68a53f8af667a36eb7cd67fa14011","contentDigest":"sha-256=:G4sv/zqeUaTAQ4HW0p8BGWnmilP4r2Z6Nut81n+hQBE=:","scope":"Canonical JSON record excluding the integrity object"}}