Today we’d like to introduce you to Elis Haxhistasa.
Hi Elis, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Started to work in Hospitality Industry in 2003 in Venice Italy for Residenza d”Epoca “Palazzo Schiavoni” as a concierge until 2006. At the end of 2006 joined my family in Philadelphia USA. Since then, i’ve worked in many restaurants as a server. Always liked to talk to people and i felt right at home doing what i was doing. In 2008 had the opportunity to work for the Hilton Hotels Worldwide at Penne Restaurant & Wine Bar until 2017. I learned quickly the ins & outs of the restaurant business, trying to perform at best in all the positions i could be helpful & needed. At Penne Restaurant is where i met Chef Ronald Poulin. I’ve always wanted to open something on my own and after years of working with Ron, we started building the idea of working and opening our place. Chef Ron shared the same dream as mine, so in April 2017 we found this place. We called it “La Cucina Ristorante” which means The Kitchen and build it to what it is today. We had a difficult journey and bumpy roads until the end of “Covid Era” which was for us a turning point. The Patio Dinning “Al Fresco” helped a lot given the circumstances of social distancing from Covid situation. Due to increasing of customer base who loved our staff, product & services and strong loyalty we expanded the restaurant size by adding another dinning room. It was a great addition, giving us the chance to serve lots of private events & parties of all kind without closing the doors to the regular patrons. As of today, we continue to perform and give our best we can, to satisfy our customers. We are willing and thrilled to expand even more in the future.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Was it a smooth ride ? No, definitely not. The winter months (off season) are long and not as busy as we thought. Another struggle, and i would say the biggest trial of all, not just for us but the whole industry, was Covid 2019. That was a “near death” experience :). It’s all behind now. Let’s focus on great days to come.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I mainly focus in managing the front of the house. I oversee the daily operations, staff and finances to ensure profitability and high customer satisfaction. Some of them are hiring and training staff, scheduling, managing reservations, greeting customers, inventory, cost control, labor hours, enforcing health & safety standards, discipline etc, basically ensure smooth daily workflows & high guest satisfaction.
Our menu is mixture of classic & contemporary Italian Cuisine. Here you can ask for dishes your Nonna cooked for you at home or try something new, Chef Ron creates daily. I would say our menu offers 40-50 items, but we make sure to let our customers know that we can cook all the dishes they like, miss or dream of trying.
We offer a large Private Event Room for any occasion. Customized Menus tailored to your needs/fitting.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lacucinanorthfield.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lacucinaristorantenj?igsh=MWNiazV0OGtobDJqYw==
- Other: lacucinaristorantenj@gmail.com
