Rocca Pizzeria is reopening its doors today with a new executive chef: Pomegranate Hospitality’s Cara Peterson, who has left her role as chef de cuisine at Saba in New Orleans to lead the Government Street pizzeria.
Pomegranate—the company that oversees the restaurants owned by New Orleans restaurateur Alon Shaya, including Saba on Magazine Street—helped Ozzie Fernandez launch Rocca in Baton Rouge back in 2017. At the time, Peterson was part of the team that consulted with Rocca.
“We are thrilled to bring on a chef with her skills and expertise in the culinary world,” Fernandez says in a prepared statement. “The team at Rocca is ready for a fresh new start as we reopen to the public and Chef Cara is ready to lead the team into a new beginning.”
In her new role, Peterson replaces Rocca’s former executive chef, Jourdan Fulbright. As of this afternoon’s deadline, the reasons behind Fulbright’s departure were unclear.
During her nearly three years as Saba’s chef de cuisine, Peterson worked under Shaya. Previously, she worked at BRG Hospitality for two years as executive sous chef at Shaya Restaurant and as a pastry chef at Zahav Restaurant, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Rocca reopened its lobby for lunch today at 11 a.m., outfitting its staff with personal protective equipment. Tables, which are placed 10 feet apart, will be sanitized between seatings, while single-use items like paper menus will be discarded.
In accordance with the governor’s 25% occupancy level mandate, Rocca is only taking reservations online at roccapizzeria.com or by calling the restaurant at 225-478-1286.
