Great Expectations: Chef Rollyn R. Angela Rosas of Casa Nonna at The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba
“If you care about what you’re putting on the plate like I do, you always have to have a backup plan in case something goes wrong,” says Chef Rollyn R. Angela Rosas of The Ritz-Carlton’s Casa Nonna.
— By Amie Watson
— Photography: Kenneth Theysen
Rollyn R. Angela Rosas
Chef de Cuisine – Casa Nonna
at The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba
“Once service starts, it’s either you find a solution or…” he says then trails off, pushing his glasses back up on his nose, because for a man who always has a backup plan, there’s no “or.” “You wouldn’t want to think of disappointing the guests,” says the earnest chef. “Our guests here at The Ritz-Carlton have certain expectations that we need to meet or exceed every time.”
That care is shown in dishes like the pici alla Toscana, where twisted strands of home-made pasta are bathed in a rich beef and pork ragu, and the peperone dolce, the house-made burrata cheese with roasted bell peppers.
One of his personal backup plans was taking a bartending course while studying to be a chef in Florida. “That was Plan B in case I couldn’t get a job in the kitchen,” he says. Fortunately, he snagged a spot at the soon-to-open Morimoto in South Beach back in 2014, just two months before his visa expired, and never had to make another drink.
He eventually came back to Aruba and helped open The Ritz-Carlton’s fine dining BLT Steak before taking on Casa Nonna. Now, he helms the kitchen, while Plan A bartenders push a tableside drink cart between dark wooden tables in the rustic dining room and out onto the patio, offering guests tableside Bellini, Martini and the chef’s favorite Italian sunset cocktail, the negroni.
Exceeding my own expectations, the chef stepped out of the kitchen to talk about stuffed focaccia, Italian cheeses, Aruban specialties and upscale dining at grandma’s house.
Are you Aruban?
I was born in Costa Rica but I was mostly raised here. Half my family’s from Aruba and the other half is from Panama.
What are your favorite places on Aruba?
It’s a little hard to choose when you live in paradise. There’s a reason they call it “One Happy Island.” One favorite is Baby Beach. The water level is low and there’s a natural coral barrier, so you can go with your kids without any worries about it being too deep. It’s very tranquil. Then there’s Rodger’s Beach and Coco Beach. They have more action because they have bars for an older clientele.
Casa Nonna means “Grandma’s House.” How is that reflected in the food?
When you go to a grandma’s house you share everything. So when you come in with a group, a family or friends, we recommend you share it family style.
What does your family eat when they come to the restaurant?
My dad loves the meat and cheeses and he and my step-mom love the peperone dolce and branzino. One of my sisters works for BLT Steak as a hostess and loves the focaccia. It’s not a traditional thick focaccia. It’s stretched thinly on a sheet tray and has dollops of ricotta, parmigiana and mozzarella that get topped with another tray of dough, pressed together and baked. We cut it and finish it in the pizza oven to make it golden brown and serve it with garlic olive oil, fresh rosemary, ground chili flakes, salt and pepper. There’s no tomato sauce, but a lot of our guests say it’s just like a pizza and it’s addictive because of the chili flakes.
What do you eat at home?
At home, I try to remain healthy. Fruits, yogurts and every now and then I make chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. Generally, I cook breakfast or lunch at home, dinner not so much.
What’s your favorite dish at Casa Nonna?
The Siamese agnolotti has been my favorite ever since I went to the Casa Nonna in New York in February 2018 for two weeks of training, before opening here in late March. It’s very hearty. It’s house-made pasta dough in a double-stuffed ravioli, hence the name. One side is a spinach and taleggio cheese filling, which is gooey, melted, a little salty. The other is veal ragu with carrots, celery, tomato, veal stock and truffle oil. It’s served in our house cream sauce with Marsala glaze, pecorino fonduta and beech mushrooms topped with truffle oil.
Is the Casa Nonna location in New York City the same as on Aruba?
Like the New York Theatre District location, we source directly from Italy, like the cheeses and cured meats. But we always try to outdo our other location. One dish we’ve adapted is the snapper locale with fennel and house-roasted red peppers. We grill the fennel until it has a nice charcoal flavor, which goes with that licorice, anise taste. Traditionally, it’s served with black sea bass, common to the Mediterranean, but we asked to switch out the sea bass to a local snapper and it’s been a resounding success.
What’s Casa Nonna’s most classic Italian dish?
Pollo alla Parmigiana – chicken Parmesan. The chicken is a large organic bone-in airline chicken breast that is sliced and thinly pounded, breaded and then deep-fried until golden brown. We top it with our signature pomodoro sauce, parmigiana, fresh basil and provolone cheese with a little béchamel. That’s baked until the cheese is melted and caramelized. It’s a very big dish. Some guests say they can’t finish this, so we serve it with zucchini and yellow squash cut thin like noodles sautéed with olive oil and topped with béchamel – so it substitutes for noodles, to lighten it up a little. And if guests prefer pasta, of course it’s another good combination.
What should every tourist eat on the island?
Keshi Yena. You’ll find it more towards the holiday seasons. And cabrita stoba, goat stew. Sopi di callaloo. Callaloo’s a hearty green, like collard greens. Sopi yambo, okra soup. We have a lot of South and Central American, African and European influence. And you can’t go without trying the local seafood. One of the best places is Zeerovers for the shrimp, freshly caught fish and of course the pickled onions and the pan bati bread.
Casa Nonna
The Ritz-Carlton, ArubaL.G. Smith Blvd. 107
Palm Beach
(297) 527-2699
