Restaurant Ambush Revisited: Special Delivery at La Casa Bianca
Paul Liscio was struggling in his work as the owner of La Casa Bianca in Whitehouse Station, N.J., a restaurant that had seen significant declines in recent years. But it was his daughter, Megan, who was determined to remedy the situation as she reached out to Robert Irvine for help in rescuing her father and his business from impending failure. After ambushing Paul with a Restaurant: Impossible renovation, Robert and his team managed to not only reopen La Casa Bianca with the tools it needs to succeed, but also help Paul find the inspiration to manage his eatery. Read on below to hear from Paul and find out how La Casa Bianca is doing today.
"Business is picking up," Paul explains. "[The experience] has brought new customers. The combo of my food and what [Robert and the team] did is clicking more and more every day. It's special."
As for the food at La Casa Bianca, Paul admits that Robert "opened my eyes to making crispy salmon." And he adds, "I'm using his technique."
Paul says that his opportunity to work with Robert was an all-important event for him: "If there's anything better than meeting Robert in my life, I'll be surprised. It was incredible. He's a chef; I'm a chef. He's a dad; I'm a dad."
In terms of his relationship with his daughter, Paul admits, "There was a void there. A scar on both of us. A complete hug wasn't happening." Since the renovation, however, he notes a change. "Now the hug is back, and a tug at the end. I don't think it will ever leave again."
