La Scala Italian Restaurant was born in 2000 when we took over a hole-in-the-wall restaurant with 10 tables, mounting debt, and a small patio. We were a young couple of very modest means that decided to risk it all to chase our dream. We sold the only thing we owned outright, a Toyota Tercel, in order to purchase the small business that was the kernel of what grew into La Scala. Chef Paco’s food was the strong base we knew we could build upon. We learned to run a restaurant by trial and error and with the help of amazing employees. Along the way, Kirsten became a passionate farmer, local food advocate, and a nutrition consultant who owns Small Wonder Food. She now supplies the restaurant with seasonal produce from the Serrano’s own Small Wonder Food.

Through an incredible amount of hard work and sheer force of will, we have built a restaurant that is beyond anything we ever dreamt, and we are aren’t done yet!

A fan once called us “aggressive entrepreneurs.” The term gets to the heart of how we see the restaurant business. La Scala is not just a business, but an extension of our family and our ideals. La Scala, as far as it has come over the past 20 years, will never be “done.” We are constantly working to improve our food and service, evolve our philosophy, change with the times, and please our customers.

We must be doing something right. We have been voted “Greater Lafayette’s Best Italian Food” by the Journal & Courier’s readers year after year after year. We are currently the longest-running fine dining restaurant in historic downtown Lafayette.