See What's Replacing Rivoli's In Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — When Rivoli's closed its doors in November, many Ocean County residents mourned the loss of a beloved Italian and seafood restaurant.

But the Fischer Boulevard building isn't going to be empty for long: Patty Caneda, owner of Caneda's, an Empanada Experience, says she will be opening a new restaurant in the spot. Caneda's White Rooster is anticpated to open by the early summer, she said in a telephone interview.

"It just seems like the right time," said Caneda, who opened the Empanada Experience two years ago.

"I didn't imagine I'd be doing this before year 3," she said, but added she didn't open the original place "thinking this was all it was going to be."

The White Rooster will be an expanded version of the Empanada Experience, Caneda said, with the 100-seat restaurant serving Cuban food, along with some Mediterranean dishes.

One of the focal points of the new restaurant, however, will be a 17-seat coffee bar, Caneda said. She is partnering with Booskerdoo Coffee Roastery and Bakery, a Monmouth Beach-based free trade coffee company, to provide the coffee bar. Caneda said it will offer a variety of coffee options, including custom-blended coffee, cold-brew coffee on tap, and pour-over options, along with lattes and other coffee drinks. The coffee bar also will serve tapas, Spanish-style appetizers, she said.

"All of our baristas will go to barista school through Booskerdoo and learn how to do latte art," Caneda said.

In addition, the restaurant will include a formal Sunday brunch, and after 3 p.m. the restaurant will transform for Sunday dinner beginning at 4 p.m. where family-style paella will be served, she said. Paella is a big pot of rice cooked and simmered with seafood, called mariscada. In addition, there will be a Valenciana-style paella served that has chicken, pork or beef, Caneda said.

The restaurant will not have a liquor license so it will be BYOB, she said, but she said she plans to have salsa music and cigar rollers on Friday and Saturday nights.

"We want to people to have a unique expericence," she said, "and hopefully be a trend-setter for other restaurants to come into the area. I would love to see a farm-to-table restaurant or a French bistro come into town."

The interior design is being done by a team in Chicago that designed restaurants for Wolfgang Puck, Caneda said, and Robert Stone Builders of Toms River is the contractor. Kim Parker, who managed the Tuscan House, will manage the restaurant, Caneda said. Jeremy Grunin has partnered with her in opening the restaurant, she said.

In advance of the opening, Caneda said the restaurant will be holding a pair of job fairs to recruit employees.

The first date is Saturday, April 1, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the second is Tuesday, April 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., she said. "We are seeking polished and experienced professionals to join our team," she said.

If interested, please submit an email confirming the chosen date to: rabbitholes49@gmail.com. You must email with a date to receive an interview; email solicitations will not be responded to, she said. Applicants must be at least 18 years old.

The job fair will be held at 1027 Hooper Ave., Building #1 second floor, she said. You can read more here.

Photo provided by Patty Caneda