Meet Rachael Grossman | Strega Nonna of Strega Nonna

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachael Grossman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachael, how do you think about risk?
I never considered this question, until I was about 22 years old and a friend/ customer of mine asked me if I had always been such a risk taker. I hardly even realize that I’m taking risks, but I suppose living is a risk, and I’ve always preferred to dive into life and dreams rather than wonder what could be.

I opened the doors of my first business one month after my 21st birthday. It was a tiny kitchen in a trailer in Portland, Oregon, serving up authentic style Italian food, like the dishes that had inspired me so much during my stints in Italy. I have no idea where I’d be if I hadn’t taken that risk, but it had set me up for many years with a very fun and successful business with lots of time to travel and re inspire.

During the thick of the pandemic in 2020, a giant brownstone in my hometown of Negaunee, Michigan came in the market, and I decided to buy it and turn it into strega nonna, a fun, colorful space for people to gather and eat well, with the intention of bringing life and something special to my hometown in the UP.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Strega Nonna is a fun, lively and colorful space in downtown Negaunee, Michigan in the UP. We strive to provide fun, welcoming dinners inspired by Authentic Italian food and culture.

I’m excited about being a part of the revitalization of my hometown. It’s defiantly a challenge to offer something different in a small community. The population is smaller, and so it’s a challenge to get enough people in the door and get the word out. I’m hopeful that time will give us the exposure that we need.

At Strega Nonna, we’re trying our best to share the type of dining experiences we loved in Italy. The food is inspired by our memories, both from childhood and our international travels. All while highlighting the Upper Peninsula’s ingredients, regional specialties, cultures, and traditions. We always encourage multi-course and family-style dining. Food is served family style, with dishes come out slowly as they’re ready. Dining is unhurried, food and wine are plentiful, and it’s set in a joyful, colorful environment surrounded by art and music.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In Negaunee, I would take them to midtown bakery and campfire coffee, and then we’d hike to sweed, a gorgeous part of teal lake. Then we would hit Marquette in the afternoon, stop at everyday wines for cheese, wine and imported products for a picnic! Then go to presque isle, jump in Lake Superior and maybe kayak to partridge island for an epic picnic. We’d paddle back and hang out on the beach, or maybe hop over to little presque beach, jump off the rocks for sunset! We’d definatley have to hit up flannigans bar for late night kareoke. The next morning we’d hit the Ramba trails in Negaunee for a fun mountain bike ride, maybe end up at Al quaal on Teal Lake for a paddle board in the afternoon. And obviously, dinner at strega nonna for the four course dinner experience.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
While I couldn’t have done any of my projects without tons of help from so many, I have a few that I really couldn’t have done it without.

First of all, I would never have found the success in making my dreams coming to fruition without Josh Chang. He has helped me run my outdoor restaurant in Portland for the last decade. He treated Artigiano like his own, loved it, and helped spread the word to make us wildly successful. He showed me how to serve, how to spread the word with photos and generosity.

When I decided to open Strega, I was shocked by how helpful and involved the community of Negaunee was. Neighbors, fellow business owners, the city manager, everyone! They came out during renovation and helped me paint the walls, literally!

And of course, I could never have done any of this without my parents. Their encouragement, time, help with everything from dishwashing to bookkeeping to event planning has been so amazingly helpful and keeps me going.

Website: Www. Strega.fun

Instagram: @streganonnanegaunee

Facebook: Strega Nonna