Previously known as Rojano’s in the Square (a nod to Paul’s mentor, Gary Rhodes), Caffé Rojano will draw on New York City’s Italian American café culture.
The new interiors, overseen by Emma, will feature ‘20s inspired art-deco designs, an in-house deli, and an operating pasta extruder at the front of the restaurant.
Caffé Rojano’s all-day menu will ‘mingle Italian techniques and cooking methods with Cornwall’s culinary heritage and abundant larder’.
Breakfast will include dishes such as baked eggs served with a tomato and chorizo sauce; buttermilk chicken with waffles; and a full Cornish breakfast featuring hog’s pudding and Cornish potato cakes.
The main lunch and dinner menus will continue to focus on pasta and pizza, but will also feature a selection of seasonal small plates.
Meanwhile the in-house deli will serve a range of New York-style gourmet sandwiches including slow-cooked meatball marinara; smoked beef brisket with sauerkraut and mustard mayonnaise; and the Caffé Rojano hotdog, which will be topped with mac ‘n’ cheese and fresh truffle.
“After nine fantastic years of Rojano’s in the Square, Emma and I have decided to re-launch the restaurant as Caffe Rojano as well as buying the freehold," says Paul.
"This has been a huge decision for us, but we’re confident that we can create a new family-dining experience here in Padstow.
"I’m incredibly excited to reveal the new interiors and menu inspired by the incredible Italian food scene in New York.”
Paul took over Rojano’s in 2011, the restaurant having originally been opened by local businessman Stanley Rojano in 1974.
He and Emma also run Paul Ainsworth at No.6 in Padstow, as well as Padstow Townhouse.
Last year the husband and wife team also acquired the lease to Cornish pub The Mariners in Rock, which is located just across the Camel Estuary from Padstow.
They took over the site following fellow chef Nathan Outlaw’s decision to step away from the pub after five years of trading.