Casa Di Francesca's in South Buffalo is going to be one of the WNY restaurants to be featured on the Food Network's Restaurant Impossible.
It all started when owner Steven Marchione got a call from one of the show's producers.
"I didn't know if it was real or not," he said. "They said that we heard through an email someone had sent us, that you had a lot of ups and downs."
They told him they wanted to hear his story, starting from when he was running the restaurant and became a single father.
"I lost my mother who was my partner, so that was another big blow. A couple years later, unfortunately my house burned down. Every time I seem to be getting back on my feet another big thing happens, like COVID," said Marchione.
Di Francesca's was, like many other restaurants, completely closed for diners. They were eventually able to do curbside and pickup orders, but that wasn't enough.
Restaurant Impossible came just in time.
"They were just like we love your story, we've got to come down. We're going to take the time, we're coming to Buffalo, we're going to do the story for you," said Marchione.
The Restaurant Impossible team were able to completely transform Casa Di Francesca's in just 30 hours.
They set up a command center in the back room - which is usually reserved for large parties. You can still find some planning materials on the tables.
"It was an amazing experience for me and my three children. Getting advice from the best people in the business, in the food industry," said Marchione.
The restaurant will be open and taking reservations Wednesday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The menu has all the food that Robert Irvine designed for the restaurant. The episode is set to air some time in January.
