Daniela Croce Carr is a lady with a lot of energy — and a lot of new ideas for dining in Pagosa.
 Back on October 1, she became the new owner and manager of LaTazza Espresso Bar, located in the uptown City Market Center. This week, she officially renamed the establishment Nello’s Bistro & Espresso Bar — in honor of her father's nickname. "Nello". By accenting her popular uptown restaurant with the new name, Danila is fulfilling a long-time dream of honoring her restaurateur father.
Daniela was born in Rome, Italy to an Italian father and an American mother, and her family moved to the U.S. when she was just a tot. When she was about six years old, they found their way to New Mexico to take advantage of the dry air, so beneficial to her mother’s health. Continued...
Nello's Bistro owner Daniela Croce Carr, left and her friend, Nello's chef Pamela Hubbel. |
Daniela's father, Aniello Leonardo Croce, was a major influence on Daniela’s life. He was quite entrepreneurial, always dabbling in different ventures, ranging from the manufacture of knitted fabrics to making wine in his garage. But Aniello — "Nello" for short — was ultimately drawn to the restaurant business. He started at the Compound Restaurant, a leading destination and restaurant of distinctive service and elegance in Santa Fe. Aniello rose through the ranks, ultimately managing the establishment until he died at the age of 48. Daniela was only 16 at the time, and found herself heartbroken.
She went off to college curiously to study social anthropology and archeology, with minors in philosophy and communication. Upon finishing school — and not seeing how she could make a practical living in any of her areas of college study — she went directly into the restaurant business.
And she’s never left.
Daniela landed in Santa Fe and — starting from the ground floor — she worked her way up from bus person to waiter to head waiter. She learned to bartend and then to manage. She started working at the Ore House in Santa Fe in the 1980s and became manager in 1990, and then part owner in 1992. It was at the Ore House that she gained some key experience in offering specials and events and in doing a product line, like jarring and selling salsa. She remained as managing partner until July 1, 2008.
While in Santa Fe, Daniela had met and married her husband, contractor Jeff Carr, and they have two children, Micaela, aged 15, and Kailey, 11.
Daniela dreamed of owning her own restaurant — but in Santa Fe, a restaurant would require millions of dollars to purchase, and then there would be 350 other establishments to compete with. Continued...
While the couple was visiting LaTazza Espresso Bar during a trip to Pagosa, Daniela fell in love with the eatery and told her husband she wanted a place just like it. Karmic connections seemed at work, and Daniela found herself moving here July 1, 2008 and buying LaTazza. She took over management of the restaurant on October 1.
Now with her very own restaurant and several months of running the place under her belt, Daniela made the decision to change the name to Nello’s Bistro & Espresso Bar — to honor her wonderful father and his bright spirit.
As an Italian, Daniela considers it an important aspect of life to share food together with people you care about. Wherever you go in Italy, Daniela says, people treat you like family and make sure you’re comfortable. Daniela’s goal is to create a place that reflects some of those Italian social values — where people can gather and talk, and receive good service, in a place where they feel comfortable. And where the food is affordable!
She wants Nello's Bistro to be all things to all people — casual elegance, where “you’ll always feel like family.”
Not long after Daniela’s arrival here, she met five-star chef Pamela Hubbel, and the two of them hit it off immediately. Now Chef Pamela is helping Nello’s to do wonderful things.
Pamela has had an amazing career; she studied with Norman van Aken, world renowned chef and “Father of New World Cuisine.” She trained chefs for the Queen of Sweden, and served as banquet chef for the governor of Louisiana.
At Nello's, "Chef Pamela" makes everything from scratch — the pastries, the desserts, the sauces. Nello’s has recently begun selling Chef Pamela’s frozen soups to go. An exciting planned addition will be the introduction of a display case in the restaurant to sell other of Pamela’s creations, such as salads, on a “to go” basis.
And to fill a gap Daniela saw in Pagosa's nightlife, Nello’s Bistro has now added a new event: “Sushi Night” on Thursdays, beginning at 5:00pm. Chef Pamela orders her fish from Honolulu Seafood, and it arrives fresh via Fed Ex. Daniela and Pamela expect their new Thursday sushi menu to be a big draw for Nello’s. Continued...
A staff of “enthusiastic, amazing, smart, wonderful people” are on board to help Daniela run the restaurant — a group that includes Michelle Worley, Assistant Manager; Libby Neder, Day Manager; and Weston Carey, Floor Manager at night. Daniela is currently getting them ready "for when it gets super busy this summer."
A great bar is part of Daniela’s vision, and major changes have already begun. For starters, she has totally remodeled the bar, hung glass racks overhead, and updated the wine list. But she wants it to be more than just a bar. Daniela is attuned to the variety of people’s tastes and needs, so she doesn’t want people to feel compelled to drink alcohol just because they’re in a bar. So a really important move has been the addition of all kinds of great coffees and a variety of other drinks.
Other exciting plans are in the works. One of Daniela’s ideas is to create an “art space,” where Nello’s would present new showings every four to six weeks. At the time of this writing, on display is Daniela’s own collection of striking western photography by New Mexico artist Barbara Van Cleve. The bistro’s first showing was work by photographer Tim Sutherland — and an exhibit by Lenny Foster, also a photographer, from Taos, NM is scheduled. Although photography has been the initial focus, Daniela is totally open to the type of art to be displayed.
Music is also a huge part of guests’ experience at Nello’s. Daniela has already put together a number of acts for the coming months, including Tony Saladino, Johnny Kay, and DC Duncan, and more concerts are planned — thanks in part to a local piano dealer who has placed a baby grand piano at Nello's. The piano is also for sale — if you've always wanted a grand piano, check it out next time you visit — but Daniela's musical guest are making excellent use of it in the evenings.
Daniela is pleased to have the chance to support local and regional musicians, and allow them to share their fine music with restaurant customers.
During the current season, Nello’s offers a daily après ski special. A happy hour everyday is in the works, and come summer, there will be an outdoor bar on the patio, with lots of music and fun events, like Margarita Mondays, with specials on drinks and entertainment by different bands.
Daniela wants Nello’s Bistro & Espresso Bar to be part of the community, to be helpful to the community. Starting with an expansive vision of how Nello’s can be all things to all people, she has set her sights on Nello’s becoming Pagosa’s meeting place — “the uptown destination.”
She seems to be well on her way.
Nello’s offers an extensive menu that includes lots of variety — Italian pastas and lasagnas, as well as wonderful salads, and burgers at night. They’re open Monday through Saturday, starting at 7:30am with fresh baked pastries and cafes available throughout the day. Lunch is offered from 11:30am to 2:30pm, with prices ranging from $4-$14. Dinner is served from 5 to 9pm, ranging in price from $6 to $26.
Nello’s Bistro & Espresso Bar is located at 135 Country Center Dr, in the uptown City Market Center. Their phone number is 970-731-9899. |