Beloved Fascino in Montclair is no more. In its place: Gioia Mia

Esther Davidowitz, NorthJersey.com
Updated ·2 min read

Fascino, the award-winning, 20-year-old, beloved Italian restaurant in Montclair owned by acclaimed chef Ryan DePersio, is no more.

DePersio sold it to general manager Mary Cumella, who renamed the restaurant Gioia Mia.

The new chef is Logan Ramirez, who was Fascino's chef de cuisine. Ramirez did stints at Gramercy Tavern in New York City as well as Battello in Jersey City (which DePersio owns) and The Highlawn Pavilion in West Orange.

"It's bittersweet," said DePersio, who also owns Kitchen Step in Jersey City as well as newly opened Kitchen Step in the Newark International Airport. He and his business partners — Joe Calafiore, Dominique Borzomati and Cory Checket — also are currently building a 40,000-square-foot events venue and restaurant in Eatontown with the goal of opening the event space, dubbed Tilling House, in August.

"I just felt it was time," DePersio said. "With me growing and having bigger projects, I did not have the time I wanted to give to Fascino." He added, "I'm more a restaurateur than a chef now."

Cumella and Ramirez, who were introduced to one another by DePersio and are now a couple, started a pop-up concept of Gioia Mia in Fascino in March. "The feedback was so positive," Cumella said. "Some people said it was the best meal they had at Fascino in 20 years."

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Cumella has kept Fascino's staff as well as decor. She is now just waiting for new signage.

Tilling House, a new events space and restaurant that Ryan DePersio is building with his business partners
Tilling House, a new events space and restaurant that Ryan DePersio is building with his business partners

The menu, however, has changed. "It's less Italian and more local and seasonal," said Cumella, 30, who is a 2016 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. Two wrist surgeries have made cooking prohibitive for her.

On the menu today are oysters (both dressed and roasted), Iberico ham served with fresh melon (it replaces Fasino's prosciutto dish, Cumella said), chicken liver mousse ("People are going crazy for it") and hamburger ("Ryan took it off the menu six months ago").

Logan Ramirez and Mary Cumella (Courtesy Mary Cumella)
Logan Ramirez and Mary Cumella (Courtesy Mary Cumella)

And why the name Gioia Mia?

It means "my joy," and is pronounced joy-ah me-ah.

It's what Cumella's grandmother, who died in October, called her. "She is the reason I got into the hospitality industry," Cumella said. "Coming from an Italian-American family, we always had our Sunday dinners. And as we grew and our friend circle grew, our 15-person Sunday dinner grew to 40 persons. We never missed a week."

Gioia Mia is at 331 Bloomfield Ave., Montclair; 973-233-0350, fascinorestaurant.com/location/fascino.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Fascino restaurant in Montclair NJ closes, Gioia Mia replaces