This year’s festive season will be special for the Teti family who run the Dunfermline Italian restaurant, Casa Mia.
Along with celebrating eight years of Casa Mia in the city, the business has been nominated as finalist in two categories of the 12th Annual Scottish Italian Awards – Best Family Run Business, and Best Family Friendly Restaurant.
The Awards Night will take place on 30 November at the Doubletree by Hilton Glasgow Central.
The business has a new Head Chef, Graziano Fragole, who has more than twenty years’ experience, and is a childhood friend of chef/proprietor Fabio Teti. Like Fabio, Graziano is from the Neapolitan town of Alife, near Naples. Graziano came to Scotland to work as a chef thirteen years ago, and says he is delighted to join the team at Casa Mia, working alongside Fabio’s parents, father Guiseppe, who is a skilled bread maker, and mother Silvana, who works as Front of House.
Fabio is keen to highlight the selection of “Casa Loves” dishes on the menu along with the help of his new chef. Based on the Teti family’s most treasured family recipes, which have been passed down through the generations, the dishes include such delights as “Montanara Al Pistachio”, deep fried pizza balls topped with stracciatella mozzarella and mortadella, finished with pistachio sauce and pistachio crumble, “Salsiccia E Friarielli”, a dish of potato gnocchi tossed with Italian Tuscan sausage & cherry tomatoes in a wild broccoli cream, Genovese, a true Neapolitan classic of Paccheri Pasta tossed with Show Cooked Aberdeen Angus diced steak and onion ragu, and finally, Mama’s Slow Cooked Beef Stew.
One of the restaurant’s signature pizzas, the “From Giuseppe to Joseph”, is a mouth watering acknowledgement of Giuseppe’s skill in preparing authentic Neapolitan sourdough pizza, and making its bread, valuable skills which could well be passed down to Fabio’s toddler son, Joseph, who turned one in September.
Featuring a tomato sauce base pizza, the pizza is topped with Fior de Latte mozzarella, and homemade slow cooked meatballs, (based on Fabio’s Nonna’s recipe) and finished with ricotta cheese, black pepper, and both Basil Oil, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Fabio said: “Meatballs have always been my favourite dish, so much so, that I have a meatball tattoo, such is my love of them.
“My Nonna, my dad’s mum, used to make the most incredible meatballs, and this is her family recipe. When my wife and I were weaning our son onto solids, these meatballs were one of the first things he ate, he absolutely loved them. So I think our love of meatballs in the family is going to continue onto the next generation.
“With dad being such a skilled bread and pizza dough maker, we felt that he definitely deserves to have a pizza named after him. All our pizzas are absolutely delicious, but this one has a loyal following all of its own.
“Dad’s hard work and skill has helped make Casa Mia the success it is today. We are thrilled to have my good friend, Graziano, join us in the kitchen, and we are keeping our fingers crossed for the Italian Awards. To win something would be amazing, and the best possible welcome to Graziano as part of our team.”
This Christmas at Casa Mia, customers can look forward to live performances by well-known Italian singer and musician, Roberto Enzo, who already performs on the first Friday of every month.
Born in Venice in 1960, and now living in Glasgow, Roberto is an accomplished accordionist, singer, and pianist. His long career has spanned over four decades, during which time he has won numerous competitions, studied classical music, and performed internationally. His versatile repertoire includes jazz, classical, and contemporary music.
Fabio said: “Roberto’s cheerful renditions of everyone’s favourite Italian songs have been going down really well with our customers,” said Fabio. “He is a very sought after performer, especially at Christmas, so we are pleased to announce that we have managed to secure his services on three dates 5, 19 and 23 December.”
More “family favourites” are central to Casa Mia’s 2025 Christmas menu, which has just been launched.
With a choice of two or three courses, for £34.95, and £39.95 respectively, the menu features a delicious and comforting Arrosto Di Manzo, slow cooked beef served on top of mashed potato, cranberry jam & finished with Italian gravy sauce.
Fresh chestnuts and wild mushrooms feature in the Mafaldine AL Funghi Porcini E Castagne, a dish of mafaldine pasta combined with a chestnut and wild mushroom ragu.
Finally, Pizza Santa Claus sees Guiseppe offer his sourdough pizza with a base of pumpkin cream, topped with crispy pancetta, porcini mushrooms, and finished with ricotta cream.
Fabio said: “These are the type of dishes we love to eat ourselves at Christmas. We look forward to wishing everyone Buon Natale, and spreading more of our “Casa Loves” philosophy in 2026.”
